Return to the Past
by Kumori Shadow Kage
Summary: First YYHxIY xover. The final battle approaches... the battle that will ultimately decide the fate of the three worlds. This time there's no second chance, no turning back, it's all on the line. If they lose, then nothing will ever be the same again.
1. Confrontation

Return to the Past

By: Shadow Kage

Disclaimer: I don't own IY or YYH; they belong to their respected owners.

Disclaimer 2: I own all characters, items, techniques, and locations that I create.

"blah" – normal speech

'blah' – thoughts

_"blah"_ – Youkai tongue

(blah) – alternate name

A/N: within ( ) – Author Note

_Blah_ – Telepathy

Blah – Location, date, Flashback/End Flashback, Dream Sequence/End Dream Sequence

Summary: Five hundred years ago Youkai and Human's lived together, though it wasn't always in peace and harmony. Some were constantly or almost constantly fighting each other for survival. However, centuries later Human's and Youkai now live in two separate worlds. Humans oblivious that Youkai still exist have disregarded them as Legends and Myths. However the Youkai know of the Humans and some still try to return to the Human World to cause chaos. However another world where humans and Youkai alike go when they die as developed barriers to prevent this from happening. Still that is not always enough as some Youkai are extremely clever and still threaten the Human World. This is where the Reikai Tantei comes in, a specialized group of Youkai, Humans, and the mysterious third race work together to keep the Human World safe. This is where our story takes place…

Chapter One: Confrontation

The three worlds have coexisted with each other for centuries, with only Youkai in one world, only Humans in another and only a third mysterious race in the third. However it wasn't always like this, once there were four worlds, but a terrible war caused one of the four worlds to dwindle into a mere memory of what it once was. Youkai once lived freely in two worlds, the Makai (Youkai World) and the Ningenkai (Human World). During this time some Youkai mated with humans to create hanyou's, half Youkai, half human beings. However it was not to last as Youkai began to think the hanyou a disgrace and the humans also a disgrace. So humans and Youkai became bitter enemies, but not all were enemies, just misunderstood and feared because of their heritage. Many were subject to this and there are plenty of examples, however none more so than the one known as Inuyasha.

Son to the Inutaisho, the Lord of the Western Lands, Inuyasha was a hanyou who never knew his father. Shunned by his older half brother Sesshomaru, Inuyasha lived with his mother, where he was also shunned by the villagers. Growing up was difficult with many Youkai out to get him and villages refusing to take him in because of his heritage, because he was a hanyou. However as he grew older, he became stronger and more independent, not caring for either human or Youkai. But this was not to be forever, when Inuyasha was seventeen, he fell in love with a Youkai's worst enemy… a priestess (miko). Unlike these days in the modern times where one would simply ask a girl out, then he had to be careful not to be killed. Planning to have originally stolen the sacred object she guarded, the Shikon no Tama (Jewel of Four Souls, Shikon Jewel) he planned to use its power to become a full fledged Youkai and become stronger than ever. But as was mentioned before he fell in love with the priestess. Her name was Kikyo…

Time flew by like it was nothing, until that fateful day when Inuyasha and Kikyo had planned to use the jewel's power to make Inuyasha a full fledged human. However as Kikyo waited in the field for Inuyasha she was struck down. To her utter horror, it was Inuyasha who had struck her down and shattered her heart.

Later in that same day Inuyasha waited for Kikyo by the tree's to the forest. However several purifying arrows nearly stuck him as he turned to see that it was Kikyo who had attacked him. Fleeing from being shot by the arrows Inuyasha stole the Shikon Jewel from its shrine and proceeded to escape into the forest, only to shot through the heart by a purifying arrow. It was Kikyo who had shot him and placed the spell on him that would keep him bound to the Holy Tree for fifty years. Kikyo died that same day, taking the jewel with her into death.

Five centuries later it was a young girl named Kagome who had stumbled upon a portal to the past, who had freed Inuyasha from his slumber. Together they made their way across the land to collect the shards of the Shikon Jewel that Kagome had shattered in order to keep it from being used by a Crow Youkai. Along the way they were joined by several others, Shippo the Red Kitsune, Sango the Youkai Exterminator/Slayer, along with her faithful companion and friend the two-tailed Kirara (pronounced Key-La-La), and the perverted monk with a curse on his right hand, a void, Miroku. Together they collect the Jewel Shards to keep another evil hanyou known as Naraku from getting them. Getting into fights with Naraku, his incarnations, Inuyasha's older brother, and many others they continue their journey making new friends and ally's everyday. However something has changed… something that threatens not only the past, but the future as well, this is where our story begins…

Feudal Era – Kaede's Village

Kagome and the others were heading back to Kaede's Village after another trip out to find Jewel Shards on a tip that turned out to be false. Because of it Inuyasha was brooding again and was making everyone else uncomfortable. When they arrived in Kaede's Village though, they got the shock of their lives. Sesshomaru was waiting for them, in a human village!

"What do you want here Sesshomaru!" sneered Inuyasha.

"As much as I dislike you Inuyasha, we have a common enemy. You want Naraku dead, as do I and several others. I propose a temporary alliance, a truce if you will, until Naraku is dead. It is your choice Inuyasha, it is up to you to decide," said Sesshomaru.

"How do I know I can trust you? You have tired several times in the past to kill me and anyone else who was with me. I need more than just Naraku to strike a deal with you. What I want is a blood oath, Sesshomaru, something you can't go back on or attempt anything against those you are allied with," said Inuyasha.

"You are smarter than you let on Inuyasha… Very well, I offer my blood as proof that I shall not, nor shall I ever, attempt anything against you while we are allied, that I shall not break my blood oath. However if it is beyond either of our knowledge, that what this oath is binding us to, that anything that should happen afterwards shall not effect status of either of us. Are we agreed Inuyasha?" asked Sesshomaru as he cut his hand and let his blood drop onto the ground.

Inuyasha cut his own hand and let the blood drop to the ground and mix with Sesshomaru's. "We are agreed Sesshomaru, all decisions will be jointly."

Sesshomaru nodded his approval and noticed Kagome sneaking off towards a well. Curious as to what Sesshomaru was looking at Inuyasha saw Kagome sneaking off.

"HEY! Where do you think your going wench!" demanded Inuyasha angrily.

"HOME, I have tests coming up and I am not going to fail them!" replied Kagome angrily as she turned to him with her hand held out.

"OH NO YOU'RE NOT! You're going to stay here and help find Jewel Shards!" said Inuyasha defiantly.

"Inuyasha…," started Kagome as Inuyasha cringed back in fear.

"Yeah Kagome?" asked Inuyasha.

"SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT!" yelled Kagome as Inuyasha was pounded into the ground over and over again.

Sesshomaru himself was curious how Kagome could hold such power over his younger brother as to make him cringe in fear with just one word. He noticed Inuyasha's companions shaking there heads as if this was common.

"Inuyasha will never learn," said Miroku.

"You monk, explain this," said Sesshomaru.

"Which part, Kagome making Inuyasha crash into the ground face first, or the well?" asked Miroku.

"Both," replied Sesshomaru.

"It's simple. The well is a passage way to Kagome's world. Only she and Inuyasha can go through it. Otherwise you merely crash into the bottom of the well, like any other dried up well. Now Inuyasha's necklace was put on him by the Priestess Kaede, with Kagome having the ability to bind Inuyasha into submission with a single word. That word is 'sit'. In her world, as she explained it to us, dos, no offense to you Lord Sesshomaru, are common household pets by humans. They use the word sit to command that dogs into sitting down. Now Kagome will say one of two phrases using this word, either 'sit' or 'sit boy'. Either one causes Inuyasha to crash into the ground face first," explained Miroku.

"So the girl is from another world? She is the strangest girl I have ever met," said Sesshomaru.

"Yes, well when she returns, she will bring items from her world. She brings food and other items back all the time, most are very interesting," said Miroku.

Present Day – 495 Years Later – Dream Sequence

'Strange that I should dream of the past, yet this isn't my past.'

The being stood on a large mountain looking over the land. It was actually quite nice; however he could sense thousands of Youkai. He knew when this was, as it was actually one of the few subjects he cared to study, this was the Feudal Era. This was before Enma had forced all Youkai into the Makai and separated the two worlds by a barrier. He was known in the Reikai as a great ruler, but he knew better. Enma did whatever it took to get things the way he wanted them. He wanted control over the Youkai, so he sealed them in the Makai. But in order to maintain his so called control he had to give certain types of Youkai areas to survive in. So he had the lands of the Makai split into four groups, all surrounding the center, which was the Neutral Lands, where the leaders of the lands met to discuss disputes. The Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western Lands were what the lands were named as a way to make it seem like nothing had truly changed for them, even though it had. He had a deep personal hatred for Enma and he wouldn't rest until Enma was dethroned and his friend, Koenma, took over. Though he was the son of Enma, he didn't always agree with his father and often disobeyed many rules to help him out, at least when he could.

"One day Enma, I'll be the living hell out of you," said the being.

End Dream Sequence

"Yusuke get up or you'll be late for school!" yelled Atsuko.

"I'm up, I'm up, besides I'm just going to get kicked out of school again by the two teachers that have it in for me," said Yusuke.

"Well, if they give you any trouble that isn't justified, then give them one big headache!" said Atsuko.

Yusuke nodded and headed to school, he ran into Keiko along the way. She was his ex, but they were still good friends.

"Hey Keiko," said Yusuke.

"Yusuke are you actually going to school?" asked Keiko.

"Yeah, why?" asked Yusuke.

"Rat face as you call him went before the school board early yesterday and you've been suspended from school grounds until the hearing," said Keiko.

"Figure's he'd do that to me," said Yusuke. "Do you mind explaining this to my mother after school then?"

"Sure, Yusuke, I'll be glad to tell her," said Keiko. "By the way, Suichi's moving; apparently he and his mother were evicted."

"Thanks, for the info Keiko," said Yusuke. "I think I'll go give him a hand."

"See you at five Yusuke," said Keiko. "You better not be late!"

"Keiko, I'm not going to be home until eight," said Yusuke. "I'll be at work, making up the time I missed."

"Alright, but not a minute past eight thirty," said Keiko.

Yusuke made his way down to Kurama's apartment and saw the landlord giving Shiori a piece of her mind. Deciding to wait until the landlord or Shiori left, Yusuke would give the land lord a piece of his mind. When the landlord finally did leave, Yusuke went right up to her.

"Can I help you young man?" asked the landlord.

"Yeah, I'm looking for a nice little apartment to live in and I heard you had the best," said Yusuke lying through his teeth.

"Yes, I do. May I ask your name?" said the landlord.

"Yusuke Urameshi, number one thug at Sarakaishi High," said Yusuke.

"Never mind, you're not welcome here," said the landlord.

Three hours later

After Yusuke finished with the landlord he went up to Kurama's apartment and knocked on the door. Shiori was the one who opened it and smiled.

"Hello Yusuke," said Shiori.

"Hi Mrs. Minamino," said Yusuke. "I heard you got evicted, so I came by to help."

"Thank you very much," said Shiori.

Yusuke went on in and started to help pack everything up and move it down to the moving van. After a few hours of work Yusuke offered to drive them to their destination.

One hour later

When the arrived at their destination, he was bit surprised that it was the same place he was working at. He found a place to park the moving van and went with Kurama and his mother up to the shrine. When they made it up the steps they found a woman waiting for them at the front door.

"Hello Shiori," said Mizu.

(A/N: I'm calling Kagome's mother Mizu in this story, it's easier than Mrs. Higuraishi.)

"Hello Mizu, this is my son Suichi Minamino. This is his friend Yusuke Urameshi number one thug at Sarakaishi High as he says," introduced Shiori causing Yusuke to blush a little.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Suichi. Yusuke the tools are on the back porch and tell your mother I hope she gets better," said Mizu.

"Thanks, I'll see you around Suichi," said Yusuke as he walked to the back porch and found the tools and supplies needed. He found the list next to everything as well and found he needed to repair the well shed, again. Letting out a sigh of frustration at having to repair the well shed again he set out to get it fixed.

Meanwhile up in her room Kagome suddenly felt the familiar strange energy of Yusuke and two new energies as well. Going back to her work she saw Yusuke from her window making his way towards the well shed. She could tell by the way he was walking that he was frustrated from having to fix the well shed, again. Giggling to herself she went back to her homework and was surprised when she saw that she was nearly finished with all her work and make up work.

'Man I guess all those sits finally sent some sense through Inuyasha's head,' thought Kagome as she went back to her work when she heard a loud crash.

Looking out the window she saw that the well shed had collapsed. Scared and angry she went out to talk to Yusuke about knocking down the shed. However when she arrived, she saw Yusuke pushing boards of him and coughing from all the dust.

"Damn termites," grumbled Yusuke as he started to gather the broken pieces of wood together and throw them into a pile. "Oh, hey Kagome, how are you doing?"

"Hi yourself Mr. Urameshi, you missed three days of work and then you total the well shed! Then you have the nerve to ask how I'm doing!" said Kagome.

"I'm sorry about the three days of work I missed, but I had a good reason. The well shed came down on me, when I started to remove the broken pieces of wood that couldn't be repaired like I normally did. They were splintered straight through," said Yusuke.

"Well you can expect this to come out of your pay, if you can't get this shed up by seven thirty! If you can then you can expect that the three days of work you missed excused," said Kagome as she saw Yusuke frown and grab some wood and start working.

Turning around she saw her mother shaking her head sadly. Knowing she and Yusuke weren't in trouble, she went back up to her room.

Two hours later

Yusuke finished putting the skeleton of the well house up and began to put the walls on when Kurama came over and gave him a hand.

"You could have asked for some help Yusuke," said Kurama.

"I know, but I've done this much on my own and it's in pretty good shape. I made the well house a bit bigger and instead of standing on stilts, its ground level with a small trench for water to drain in on the outside. Now the shelves are already made up, since I was planning on replacing those things last time I was here," said Yusuke.

"I see, well then let me make a suggestion, instead of just a ditch, plant some flowers there to make this seem less dull," said Kurama as he pulled out several different varieties of rose seeds and planted them just around the ditch.

Yusuke nodded and went to work on putting up the shelves and the walls. After several hours of work he finished the new well house. He decided to let the Higuraishi's decide what color to paint it. Making his way to the door, he knocked and it was Kagome who answered it.

"Yes, Mr. Urameshi?" asked Kagome still mad at him.

"Finished the new well house, I just need to know what color you want it painted," said Yusuke as he pointed to the new well house.

"Where are the steps?" asked Kagome.

"Gone, I noticed that it took up a lot of room and useful lumber. So I put up a few extra shelves and a new door. Like I said before the only thing left to do is choose the color for the well house," said Yusuke.

"Whatever, I'll let my mother know. You've earned your pay, now get lost," said Kagome.

"Whatever, didn't know this job came with a bitchy boss," mumbled Yusuke.

"What was that!" demanded Kagome.

"Nothing that concerns you, now I'm out of here," said Yusuke turning his back to her, grabbing his stuff, and walking off.

"You jerk!" said Kagome angrily.

"Yeah, yeah, call me whatever you like," called Yusuke as he came to shrine steps and continued on, ignoring her.

Kagome just stormed back towards the house angrily about what Yusuke might have said about her. "The nerve of that moron!" grumbled Kagome.

"It is not wise to try and provoke Yusuke," said Kurama as Kagome jumped.

"Don't do that!" said Kagome.

"I'm sorry if I startled you," said Kurama.

"It's okay, I'm just not used to people sneaking up on me like that," said Kagome. "So exactly how did you come to be friends with that jerk?"

"A mutual benefit at first, we were not exactly seeing eye to eye at first. We each had our own agendas, which happened to eventually coincide with each others. Eventually we came to an understanding and became allies and friends," said Kurama a bit mischievously.

"I see, so can you tell me why it is, whenever somebody sees him, they pale?" asked Kagome curiously.

"That is easy. Yusuke has a reputation for being the number thug at Sarakaishi High School. He hasn't been expelled yet, miraculously, and he has been on the bad side of most teachers since he was in Junior High," said Kurama, chuckling a bit.

"That bad, why isn't he in jail then?" asked Kagome curiously.

"Because he has not done anything illegal, he is not as he seems Kagome. He is very loyal to those he considers his friends, which is very few, and he has been going through some rough years," said Kurama.

"How so?" asked Kagome.

"When he was fourteen, he was hit by a car. He had thrown himself in front of the car, pushing a child out of the way. He was put into an extremely deep coma, one where he was mistakenly taken for dead," said Kurama.

"Oh, but what about after that?" asked Kagome.

"His home was burned down, with him still in it, luckily his ex-girlfriend was able to save him before the entire house was consumed, taking him with it. He has gotten into several fights after he awoke; each one his life was put into serious danger. He had landed a job with a Detective agency that helped troubled teens. It was the perfect way for Yusuke to continue fighting and venting his frustrations out, yet it was also a way for him to help people. It was during one his cases that he met me. Yusuke is an extraordinary person Kagome, he has just had a troubled life," said Kurama.

"What about his mother?" asked Kagome.

"His mother is a drunk," said Kurama carefully. "Though she is a drunk, she still cares for Yusuke very much. When she is sober, she and Yusuke would get into many arguments over the most trivial of things. Such as Yusuke skipping school, getting into fights, and getting kicked out of school. But throughout it all, you could tell they care for each other and don't want to see the other hurt."

"What about Yusuke's father? Didn't he have any say what he did?" asked Kagome.

"Yusuke's father had been unknown to both his mother and him for quite a long time. However not too long ago, Yusuke found his father, but he was not exactly in the best of health at the time. It was three years after Yusuke had been living with his father that he had died, leaving Yusuke with just his mother," said Kurama.

"Okay, but what does this have to do with not provoking Yusuke?" asked Kagome.

"He is rather unstable at the moment… his mother is ill and is slowly dying. He is trying everything in his power to show her he is more than just a street punk that took advantage of her kindness towards him. If his mother were to die, before he ever obtained her forgiveness or her acknowledgement, he would probably go into a nervous breakdown," said Kurama sadly.

"That's sad, yet kind of noble of him," said Kagome.

"Yes it is, normally Yusuke would have jumped at the opportunity to fight. You are quite lucky Kagome, when I have sparred with Yusuke, we use no holds barred and usually one of his knocked out," said Kurama amusingly.

Kagome couldn't believe what her cousin was telling her. He had fought Yusuke with no holds barred and had ended up unconscious from it before. She was amazed, yet frightened of what Yusuke was capable of. Then for the first time she realized that there was something cryptic about what Kurama had said.

Yusuke's Apartment

"Mom, I'm home," yelled Yusuke.

There was no reply, but he knew she was still there as the T.V. was on, however when he checked the living room she wasn't there, so he checked her room. What he found scarred him, his mother was lying in a pool of blood on the floor, barely alive. Quickly grabbing the phone he called for an ambulance, but they couldn't be there for another hour, so he did everything in his power to keep her alive.

"Yusuke," said Atsuko.

"No mom, don't talk!" said Yusuke desperately trying to keep her alive.

"It's too late for me, Yusuke," said Atsuko touching his face.

"Mom, don't say that! You're going to make it," said Yusuke as he started to cry.

"It's alright, I'm not afraid, just let me see your other form just once," said Atsuko.

"Okay, I'll show you," said Yusuke as he begun the transformation into his Toushin form for his mother. "There, can you see me?"

"You look absolutely stunning Yusuke," said Atsuko sweetly.

"Save your breath mom, you're going to be okay," said Yusuke as he changed back to his normal form.

"Yusuke, I love you, I never thought of you as burden in my heart," said Atsuko. "I forgive you for disappearing those three years."

"I found him mom, I found dad, but he died three years after I found him. He was a full blooded Toushin, I'm his heir, I'm a hanyou, but I'm still your son," said Yusuke as he spilled everything to her about his life since he was fourteen.

"I'm glad you're happy Yusuke, I'm glad you found something to do with your life. Something that helped not just yourself, but others as well," said Atsuko as she died in his arms, causing Yusuke to break down.

Five minutes later the paramedics arrived to see Yusuke crying. They found his mother in his arms and knew by the way Yusuke was reacting they were too late.

Several Hours Later

The doctors had finished their examination of his mother and determined that something had killed her. It looked to be something that no human could do. Since the doctor was a retired medic for the Reikai he told him it looked to be done by a Spider Hanyou. This left Yusuke quite angry as he returned to his apartment and found the scent of miasma all over his the living room and his mother's room as well.

One Week Later

The funeral was being held at the Higuraishi Shrine as per his mother's will stated. It seemed that his mother, Shiori, and Mizu when they were in Junior High and High School were friends. Yusuke had already said a prayer for her and now he stood in front of everyone present. Even Mr. Takenaka, Yusuke's old Junior High and High School principal had shown up. After he finished with his speech about his mother, he laid his crest on her body. Slowly everyone else came up and said their goodbyes, lying flowers next to her. Afterward Yusuke picked up a torch from the pile of burning wood and set the funeral pyre on fire. His mother's will stated that she be cremated when she died.

Everyone watched saddened by her death, but none more than Yusuke, Kurama, and surprisingly Hiei, who had shown up to pay his respects.

Flashback

Hiei had come back with Yusuke after a long and brutal sparring session. Both were tired and hungry, Hiei had lost and as per agreement, Hiei would try some ningen food. When they arrived at Yusuke's home though, Atsuko was there waiting for him. She was in a bad mood about Yusuke getting into more fights and missing school again.

"Yusuke," said Atsuko simply.

"I know. You're mad about me getting into some more fights, and for skipping school again. Truthfully, it was supposed to be a surprise for your birthday. Mr. Takenaka agreed to let me take the graduation test and well I passed with the second highest score ever recorded. Apparently the first highest was set by one Atsuko Urameshi," said Yusuke with a grin.

Atsuko was so shocked she fell back into her seat. She was proud of Yusuke, it was then she noticed Hiei.

"Who is that Yusuke?" asked Atsuko.

"His name is Hiei, we work together at the agency," said Yusuke carefully.

"I see, get out," said Atsuko.

"Why should I listen to you?" said Hiei smugly.

Atsuko did the one thing that nobody would think she would do. Instead of yelling some more and then threatening Hiei, she slugged him leaving a nice bruise on his right cheek, surprising not only Hiei, but Yusuke and Atsuko as well.

Atsuko was quick to apologize for her behavior and excused herself to her room. Leaving Hiei and Yusuke puzzled at to what just occurred. Yusuke's mother had been able to hurt Hiei without any sort of training.

"Your mother is gutsy Detective," said Hiei simply.

"Hurt her and you die Hiei," said Yusuke simply.

"I know, but why hurt one as rare as her? She hurt me, without training and without warning. You inherited her stubbornness, sneakiness, and temper from her. She is worthy of my respect," said Hiei as he watched Atsuko come out of her room and stare at him for a long moment.

"Make yourself comfortable, I'll make you something to eat, please accept my apologies," said Atsuko as Hiei nodded.

End Flashback

Hiei had given Atsuko his respect for not only being able to quell Yusuke's temper, but for being as quick witted, sneaky, if not more, as Yusuke, Kurama, and himself put together, which was something to say.

Yusuke himself had walked off and found himself in front of the Holy Tree. He was sad for his mother's death, but he was angry at the one who killed her. Turning he found Kurama next to him.

"She was murdered by a Spider Hanyou," said Yusuke quietly to Kurama.

"I see. Was there anything else?" asked Kurama.

"Yeah, I smelled miasma all over the living room and my mother's room," said Yusuke.

"A Spider Hanyou, that control's miasma, there is only one Spider Hanyou who could do that and that is Naraku," said Kurama with an obvious hint of detest in his voice.

"I thought he disappeared when Sensui became a Tantei," said Yusuke.

"He did, but obviously he was looking for you. Naraku is no ordinary hanyou; he was once human who drew in Youkai to himself that created his body as Naraku. He can do many other things as well, which I do not know of," said Kurama.

"I'm not a normal hanyou either Kurama, or haven't you noticed that I can shift my forms at will now," replied Yusuke.

"I have noticed, which is why you are so powerful," said Kurama sincerely. "In your normal form you are powerful and feared by the lower class Youkai. However in your Toushin form you are feared by not only the lower class Youkai, but higher class Youkai as well, such as Yomi. You were lucky though, that you were able to form an alliance with Mukuro. I'm still surprised you were able to find the Plant of Rejuvenation. You were able to heal her and because of which she is in your debt, Yusuke."

"I know the Northern and Eastern Lands are in alliance. And since Yomi is dead, and you were his second in command, until his son is strong enough and old enough you are in charge of the Southern Lands. This means that three quarters of the Makai are in alliance. Let's hope we can find this scum, before he does anymore damage," said Yusuke as the two of them returned to the funeral.

-

Kagome was saddened by the fact that Yusuke's mother had died such a horrible death, especially since she was all that Yusuke, at the time, had left. But she could tell by the way Yusuke spoke that he was in pain, but was keeping himself together by sheer will. After he laid a crest on her body, everyone else went up and said their goodbyes, including her. She hadn't known her, but she could feel the sadness in the air. It was going to be a hard time for Yusuke and everyone else who had known her. She watched as Yusuke lit the funeral pyre and watched for a couple of minutes before walking off. She had already started walking off when she came to the Holy Tree. She sat down at the base of the tree and just sat there wondering how Yusuke had to feel at the moment. Her thoughts were interrupted though when she heard voices on the other side of the tree.

"She was murdered by a Spider Hanyou," said Yusuke quietly to Kurama.

Kagome almost let out a gasp when she heard Yusuke, but stayed quite and listened.

"I see. Was there anything else?" asked Kurama.

"Yeah, I smelled miasma all over the living room and my mother's room," said Yusuke.

This startled Kagome and had her very nervous now as to who the perpetrator could be.

"A Spider Hanyou, that control's miasma, there is only one Spider Hanyou who could do that and that is Naraku," said Kurama with an obvious hint of detest in his voice.

Kagome froze at his name. 'Could Naraku actually win in the final battle against us?'

"I thought he disappeared when Sensui became a Tantei," said Yusuke.

"He did, but obviously he was looking for you. Naraku is no ordinary hanyou; he was once human who drew in Youkai to himself that created his body as Naraku. He can do many other things as well, which I do not know of," said Kurama.

"I'm not a normal hanyou either Kurama, or haven't you noticed that I can shift my forms at will now," replied Yusuke.

That statement really caught her attention as she began to wonder how they knew of Youkai in the first place and where had they learned of them.

"I have noticed, which is why you are so powerful," said Kurama sincerely. "In your normal form you are powerful and feared by the lower class Youkai. However in your Toushin form you are feared by not only the lower class Youkai, but higher class Youkai as well, such as Yomi. You were lucky though, that you were able to form an alliance with Mukuro. I'm still surprised you were able to find the Plant of Rejuvenation. You were able to heal her and because of which she is in your debt, Yusuke."

"I know the Northern and Eastern Lands are in alliance. And since Yomi is dead, and you were his second in command, until his son is strong enough and old enough you are in charge of the Southern Lands. This means that three quarters of the Makai are in alliance. Let's hope we can find this scum, before he does anymore damage," said Yusuke as the two of them returned to the funeral.

To say Kagome was shocked was an understatement. Not only was Yusuke a hanyou, but he was a special hanyou of an extremely rare and powerful Youkai type. But to add onto that, he was Lord of the Northern Lands. Her cousin though, is what shocked her most, he currently was the Lord of the Southern Lands. The two of them were in alliance with the Lord (Lady) of the Eastern Lands, whom she could only assume was the one called Mukuro, who was in allegiance with Yusuke and her cousin for helping her. Making her way to her room she collapsed onto her bed in complete shock.

­-

A/N: Well that's it for the first chapter. This is my first YYH/IY crossover, so please try and give me a break about some of it. If anybody has any questions or comments, leave them in the review. Now here is my first poll:

Should Kagome confront Yusuke and Kurama? Yes or No, explain

Should Kagome return to the Feudal Era now? Yes or No, explain

What should the pairings be? (No Kur/Kag, Yus/Keiko, or Yaoi/Yuri.)

Yusuke/Kagome: Hiei/Kagome: Inuyasha/Kagome:

Sesshomaru/Kagome: Miroku/Kagome: Kurama/Sango:

Yusuke/Sango: Hiei/Sango: Miroku/Sango:

Inuyasha/Sango: Sesshomaru/Sango: Yusuke/Botan:

Kurama/Botan: Miroku/Botan: Inuyasha/Botan:

Sesshomaru/Botan: Hiei/Botan: Kurama/Kikyo:

Hiei/Kikyo: Sesshomaru/Kikyo: Inuyasha/Kikyo:

Yusuke/Kikyo: Miroku/Kikyo:

Should Kuwabaka (Kuwabara) and Keiko make an appearance? Yes or No, explain

That's it for that poll, now my contest:

The rules are as follows:

No Yaoi or Yuri. No taking other people's ideas. Original characters are accepted. Everything shall be judged by me. If you win, then I shall give you credit and mention your name in whatever chapter or chapters it's used in. Please leave your name (real/alias), e-mail address, and your idea. Post below the poll at least two to three lines. 

Those are the rules and good luck.

Shadow Kage


	2. Confrontation II

A/N: The results of the poll so far are as follows:

Yusuke/Kagome: 6, Hiei/Kagome: 1, Inuyasha/Kagome: 1

Sesshomaru/Kagome: 0, Miroku/Kagome: 0, Kurama/Sango: 0

Yusuke/Sango: 0, Hiei/Sango: 3, Miroku/Sango: 2

Inuyasha/Sango: 0, Sesshomaru/Sango: 0, Yusuke/Botan: 0

Kurama/Botan: 1, Miroku/Botan: 2, Inuyasha/Botan: 0

Sesshomaru/Botan: 0, Hiei/Botan: 0, Kurama/Kikyo: 0

Hiei/Kikyo: 0, Sesshomaru/Kikyo: 0, Inuyasha/Kikyo: 3

Yusuke/Kikyo: 0, Miroku/Kikyo: 0

The poll shall remain open for at least one more chapter after this one. I'd like to thank everyone who has participated in this poll so far. By the time I finish chapter three, if there are any pairings with zero votes, they shall be removed, then the final pairings poll shall be opened. Again thank you to all who have participated in this poll.

Shadow Kage

Disclaimer: Check chapter one, it goes for every chapter!

Chapter Two: Confrontation II

The following day Kagome got out of her bed, her mind still reeling over the fact that her cousin was Lord of the Southern Lands and his friend was Lord of the Western Lands. She knew only one person that could quell all her questions and that was Sesshomaru, Lord of the Western Lands. Grabbing her clothes, she decided that she would sneak back to the Feudal Era in her priestess garbs. After taking a quick shower she dressed and quietly snuck out to the newly rebuilt well house.

'Hopefully Inuyasha won't destroy this one or else Yusuke is going to have a fit,' thought Kagome as she jumped down the well, unknowing that she had been watched the whole time by an unknown spectator.

-

Kurama awoke to the sound of the shower running and figured it was just somebody getting an early start on the day. Still something at the back of his mind puzzled him; there was something that was bugging him. Normally nothing would bother him this much and it would eventually pass, however this time it stayed. When he heard the shower turned off he rose from his bed and went to shower too, but when he saw Kagome run down the stairs quickly in priestess garbs, he quickly decided to follow her.

'What could she be up to?' thought Kurama as he found that what was bothering him was Kagome and whatever she was hiding.

He watched her go into the newly rebuilt well house, hoping that Yusuke had done a decent job in rebuilding it. However as he watched Kagome, he saw her jump down the well and a bright glow came from it. This puzzled him even more as he rushed to the well and saw that it was empty.

'What kind of well is this?' thought Kurama.

­­-

Feudal Era – Kaede's Village

Kagome climbed out of the well and rushed towards Kaede's village. When she arrived she saw Sesshomaru watching Rin play with the village children.

"Lord Sesshomaru," started Kagome carefully.

"Yes?" replied Sesshomaru not taking his eyes off of Rin.

"Has any of the others explained to you about the well?" asked Kagome.

"Yes," replied Sesshomaru again.

"Then I must ask you, could you recognize a Youkai Lord or acting Youkai Lord?" asked Kagome as Sesshomaru's gaze turned quickly to her.

"Why do you ask?" asked Sesshomaru curiously.

"The well leads to another time, roughly five hundred years in the future. In my time I heard my cousin and his friend talking about Naraku," said Kagome as she gained Sesshomaru's full attention.

"Go on," replied Sesshomaru.

"They said that he disappeared when a person known as Sensui became a Tantei. My cousin's friends' mother was killed by Naraku. However afterwards I heard my cousin's friend say he was a hanyou, but not by normal circumstances. My cousin called him a Toushin, who was the Lord of the Northern Lands," said Kagome slowly.

"The Lord of the Northern Lands is Raizen; however it seems that this Toushin is the son of Raizen and a human woman," said Sesshomaru, "The only way that this Toushin is not a normal hanyou is if the Toushin's Youkai blood was dormant. Which in few cases leaves the being completely human, however once the Youkai blood is awakened then the being either becomes full Youkai or half Youkai."

"I see. Then how is it that he hasn't been cast from his throne, being a hanyou?" said Kagome confused.

"He is very powerful," replied Sesshomaru about to walk away.

"Wait Lord Sesshomaru, I have two questions left," said Kagome. "Can a hanyou switch from his or her human to Youkai form at will?"

This stopped Sesshomaru as he turned to her, "Why do you ask?"

"My cousin's friend and my cousin himself both said that he could switch his forms at will, from human to Toushin and back again," said Kagome.

"It is extremely rare… extremely few have ever been able to do so. However these few were also very powerful humans, with very dormant Youkai blood. If this Toushin is able to do so, then he or she was an extremely powerful human, before their Youkai blood awakened. Not even those in the past were able to ascend to the rank of Youkai Lord of any lands. If this Toushin can do so then he or she may very well be more powerful than Naraku at current time," said Sesshomaru.

"I see, one last question and then I shall leave you be," said Kagome politely. "During their conversation, they never mentioned the Lord of the Western Lands. However they did say that they were both in alliance with the Lord of the Eastern Lands, a female Youkai by the name of Mukuro. How long do Inu Youkai live for on average?"

"Interesting question miko, very well I shall answer it. Inu Youkai live for about two thousand years on average, however that is the typical Inu Youkai, the more powerful ones can live up to five thousand years. I myself am only five hundred years old," said Sesshomaru casually.

"I thank you Lord Sesshomaru," said Kagome as she bowed to him and left.

­­-

Meanwhile Yusuke was busy in the Makai having a battle royal with multiple strong Youkai that had decided to try and terrorize the Ningenkai. Even though he had back up with him, he insisted on taking this fight alone and was having a lot of fun pulverizing them Youkai. After a half an hour more the Youkai were bruised and bleeding as they retreated back to their homes.

"You should have killed them," said Hiei.

"Nah, let them run back to their homes like the sniveling cowards they are," said Yusuke as he sat down on the ground. "They can be used as prime examples of a fate worse than death if the attempt to terrorize the Ningenkai. Besides if they try it again, you can have a shot at them Hiei, let them know what it feels like to know true terror."

Hiei smirked at the image that had formed in his mind of them facing the Dragon of the Darkness Flame and run screaming for their lives as it incinerated them. "Yes perhaps next time I will."

Yusuke nodded as they closed the portal and headed back to the Reikai top report back to Koenma about the portal. When they arrived however they were confronted by King Enma's royal guards.

"Alright, what have we done this time?" demanded Yusuke.

"You are trespassing on the palace of King Enma, ruler of the Reikai!" said one guard.

"We work with Prince Koenma you idiot," said Yusuke as they continued forward only to be stopped by another guard brave enough to do what he did.

"You are not welcome here, be gone and you shall be unharmed," said the guard as the other guards roared in agreement.

"You all really are glutens for pain, aren't you?" said Yusuke through narrowed eyes and clenched teeth, as Hiei backed him up.

"I said leave at once or feel the wrath of King Enma's Elite Royal Guards," said the guard again, as the other guard roared in agreement again.

"Why don't we take this outside, because you just ruined my whole day," said Yusuke as they left the palace.

"You will be sorry you ever decided to fight us," said one guard.

"Hiei, show them true misery," said Yusuke, as Hiei smirked, removing his cloak and the headband that kept the Jagan Eye covered and concealed.

"You should have listened to the detective fools. Now you will feel the wrath of the Dragon of the Darkness Flame!" roared Hiei unleashing the dragon upon the guards.

The dark fiery dragon roared as it slammed against the guards, consuming them, leaving nothing behind but charred corpses. After all but one guard was gone the dragon turned to him, causing him to run in terror and cry for his mother, as it gave chase to him, eventually forcing him to join his comrades as charred corpses on the ground.

"Nice job Hiei, I'd say they won't be bothering us again and neither will King Enma," said Yusuke as they reentered the palace and made their way to Koenma's office.

"I see you finally made it," said Koenma. "Did you really have to do that to them Hiei? Do you know how hard it was to find men with their ranking and dedication?"

"Hn," replied Hiei.

"Don't really care Koenma. Tell your old man to back off or next time it's going to be him," said Yusuke.

"I'll be sure to have one of the ogre's deliver that message to him. Anyway how did the assignment go?" asked Koenma dully.

"Closed the portal, pulverized the ones responsible, and took out at least a dozen annoying Elite Royal Guards," said Yusuke summarizing it all up into one sentence.

"Very well, I don't have any cases for you at the moment. You can go if you wish, and Hiei your passport to the Ningenkai has been revoked," said Koenma.

"Koenma if you're joking then I'll be sure to do to you what I did to Toguro and Sensui," said Yusuke menacingly.

"I'm sorry Yusuke, but my father revoked it and there is–"

Yusuke had left, swinging the doors open so hard they crashed through the walls. Making his way down towards King Enma's office he smashed open those door as well.

King Enma was surprised to say the leas to see Yusuke Urameshi just barge into his office without invitation or appointment. However upon inspection, he saw that Yusuke was very angry and pissed off.

"Can help you Mr. Urameshi?" asked King Enma.

"Oh you can help me all right," said Yusuke. "You have two choices, one: reinstate Hiei's passport to the Ningenkai and quit sending those damn guards after us, two: you don't reinstate Hiei's passport, stop sending the damn guards after us, and deal with me."

"Or I can choose option three and have you executed for treason," said King Enma.

"Wrong choice," said Yusuke as he shut the doors and grinned at King Enma making him extremely pale and worried for his health.

Yusuke grabbed King Enma's desk and threw it across the room into the TV monitor and proceeded with his plans for King Enma.

Hiei and Koenma had run towards King Enma's office when they had gotten word at what Yusuke had done or was about to do. When they arrived the door was attempting to be broken down, but with little progress.

"Out of the way weak fools!" yelled Hiei as he unleashed the Dragon of the Darkness Flame upon the door causing it to explode into burnt splinters.

When they got inside they found King Enma against the wall with a bruised and swollen face, with blood running from his nose and a black eye. Upon closer examination they saw that King Enma was seriously injured and bruised up.

"Now sign the damn statement and put your seal on it before I decide to see what your innards look like!" said Yusuke as King Enma signed it and stamped it. "If you decide to go back on this deal Enma, I swear I will send you to Hell and back again! Do you understand me asshole!"

King Enma nodded as Yusuke left the room, tossing Hiei's now reinstated pass to him. When they saw what the room looked liked they were horrified, except Hiei who was smirking at the damage. It was a hazard zone, worse that what had been done to Yakumo's palace after Yusuke purified the Power Sphere and used it against him.

"Are you okay sir?" asked an ogre.

"Let everyone know that he is not be provoked or else it will end in a painful manner or worse," said King Enma limping out of his hazardous office towards the hospital wing, muttering about going on vacation.

-

When Kagome returned she changed into her normal clothing. She was going to have some fun with her friends today and show her cousin around town, before she attempted to carefully pry information from him.

"Hey Suichi are you ready to go yet?" called Kagome from downstairs.

"Just a minute Kagome," said Kurama as he finished putting his coat on and walking down stairs. "So what do you have planned for today Kagome?"

"Oh, I'm going to show you around town and if we run into my friends I'll introduce you to them," said Kagome cheerfully.

"Very well, on one condition," said Kurama.

"Oh? What's that?" asked Kagome.

"I won't have to nor will I carry any of your bags, nor your friend's bags from any shopping. I will carry my own bags only and anything I get for my mother," said Kurama slyly as Kagome pouted, but agreed to his terms. "Good then let's go."

Four Hour's Later

After showing Kurama most of the sights in town they stopped by a burger stand, where they ran into Kagome's friends and Hojo.

"Hey Kagome!" said Eri (one of Kagome's three friends in the Modern Era).

"Hey Kagome, who's this?" asked Arimi. "Is this that two timing boyfriend of yours!"

"No! That's just gross! This is my cousin Suichi Minamino," said Kagome a bit angry. "Suichi these are my friends, Eri, Arimi, and Yuka."

"Nice to meet you ladies," said Kurama politely.

"Suichi this is Hojo, a fellow classmate of mine," said Kagome.

"Nice to meet you Hojo," said Kurama extending his hand.

"It's nice to meet you as well Suichi. Aren't you the one who scored the highest in the entire city?" asked Hojo curiously.

"Yes, though it is not something I talk about," said Kurama politely.

"Oh, okay, hey Kagome, do you think we could go see a movie this Saturday?" asked Hojo.

"Sorry Hojo, I can't, I have to help out around the house and well it's not been a very good week for me and my family," said Kagome.

"Oh, is your back hurting again?" asked Hojo. (What an idiot!)

"No, a close friend of the family's passed away this week and we're helping her son out with a new place to live," said Kagome.

"Oh, I see, who exactly might this person be? Maybe we can help out," said Hojo.

(Yep, he's definitely clueless and a major idiot.)

"His name is not important," said Kurama quickly. "But thank you for the invitation, but we have everything under control."

"Alright, I'll see you around Kagome's," said Hojo leaving.

"Suichi, what was that for?" demanded Kagome and her friends.

"You know as well as I do Kagome about his reputation and his short temper," said Kurama sternly.

"Short temper?" said Yuka. "This wouldn't happen to be the two timer would it Kagome?"

"No! This guy is even worse than that arrogant jerk!" said Kagome as he sat down angrily.

"Then who is he?" asked Eri.

"I'll tell you if you promise several things: One: Don't annoy him with many questions. Two: Don't give him any reason to start a fight with you. Three: Don't bring up his parent's; that is dangerous ground. Four: Don't ask him about his love life; that is also dangerous ground. Finally: Don't under any circumstances insult those he considers his friends. Follow all five of these rules and you'll be safe," said Kurama.

"Hey Suichi, I've done some similar things to him, why didn't he try anything with me?" asked Kagome curiously.

"He was in a good mood, his mother was still alive, and you're my cousin," said Kurama carefully.

"Oh," said Kagome.

"Okay, we promise, now tell us who he is!" said Yuka.

"Yusuke Urameshi," said Kurama casually as the three of them froze.

"The Yusuke Urameshi, the one that can summon an entire gang of bikers, just by whistling?" asked Eri.

"Yusuke doesn't whistle and he doesn't need an entire gang of bikers to back him up. He has single handily secured the Sarakaishi School District as his territory. He has even had the teachers their terrified of him since he was in Junior High," said Kurama as Yusuke walked through the door in a bad mood.

Yusuke was abruptly shoved out the door by someone bigger than him who was the main bully and punk around the parts they were in.

"Give me your money and you'll walk away unhurt," said the bully.

"Scram, I'm not in a good mood," said Yusuke.

"Apparently you didn't hear me, boys teach this little punk a lesson," said the bully.

"Gladly boss," said one of the punks.

"I tired to warn you, but no you just wouldn't listen!" yelled Yusuke as he slugged the guy on his right straight into a garbage can.

The guy on his left went down hard with a fist implanted in his stomach. The rest of the gang charged Yusuke, but went down hard with one his to each of them. The leader of the gang then attempted to stab Yusuke with a knife, but soon regretted it as he made a comment about his mother.

"TAKE THIS!" yelled Yusuke as he began pulverizing the guy relentlessly.

He stopped when Kurama grabbed him and slugged him hard in the right cheek. Yusuke regained his senses and punched the nearest garbage can, sending it flying into the wall.

"Scram and don't you ever bother me again or say anything about my mother! DO YOUN UNDERSTAND ME!" said Yusuke as the guy wet his pants and ran cowering down the street.

"I take it that our employer put you into a bad mood today?" asked Kurama.

"You could say that, he tried to pull a fast one, but he learned the hard way," said Yusuke as he walked inside the restaurant to be greeted by applause.

"Man, I've been waiting for somebody to show them their place!" said one guy as he shook Yusuke's hand. "You're the best!"

This had calmed Yusuke down considerably seeing as how he was being treated with respect and not feared. "It was nothing; he caught me in a bad mood and talked trash about my mother," said Yusuke.

He sat down with Kurama and Kagome and noticed the way they stared at him.

"What!" he demanded.

"Nothing, it's just I never expected you to be so cute," said Yuka.

"YUKA!" cried Kagome, Eri, and Arimi simultaneously.

"What?" asked Yuka innocently.

"Nothing," they all said unbelieving at what Yuka had just said.

"Err… um… thanks," said Yusuke a bit nervously, not used to girls just coming out and saying he was cute, especially in public.

"Look at the time we better go Suichi," said Kagome.

"What time is it?" asked Yusuke.

"Four o'clock," said Kurama.

"Shit!" said Yusuke as he jumped over the table and ran out the door.

"What was that all about?" asked Yuka curiously with stars in her eyes as he thought about Yusuke.

"He is supposed to be at work by four thirty and it's a thirty-five minute walk from here," said Kagome. "He works at my family's shrine."

The girl's just nodded as Kagome and Kurama left the restaurant. Along the way back to the shrine Kagome decided it would be a good time to interrogate Kurama, for some answers.

"So Suichi, what exactly do you and Yusuke together at work?" asked Kagome.

"We handle minor disturbances that the Police don't usually handle," said Kurama.

"Like what?" asked Kagome.

"Disturbing the peace and occasionally a fight with a gang or two," said Kurama carefully, as not to reveal too much.

"Really, who exactly are you employed under?" asked Kagome.

"Suddenly you seem to want to know everything about me Kagome. Are you trying to interrogate me?" asked Kurama slyly.

"No, it's for a school project so I can bring my grade up. I have to interview someone related to me if possible or someone I'm close to about what they're like and what helps shape what they're like," said Kagome quickly.

"My mother," said Kurama. "I have taken this job to help protect my mother. She came close to dying once, but by a miracle she survived and her health grew better. This was about the same time Yusuke and I first met."

"Right," said Kagome as she tried to think of more questions. "Have you ever come home injured?"

"Yes and no, I have come home injured, but it is usually minor injuries such as a minor cut from bushes. But I have had more serious injuries which are usually taken care of at the medic part of our headquarters. But I am a fast healer and have often come home unharmed," said Kurama telling the truth, yet he wasn't, at least not all of it. "Are there any more questions?"

"Not right now, I'll ask you again, if I can think of some more. Otherwise thanks Suichi," said Kagome as they continued to walk to the shrine.

When they finally did arrive at the shrine they saw Yusuke working on the well house roof, grumbling about how he just built it and he was already repairing it. Kagome just shrugged and went inside to help with dinner.

Kurama himself decided to inform Yusuke of what he knew about Kagome and some of her secrets. Climbing onto the roof he handed Yusuke some more wood and nails.

"What did you find out Kurama?" asked Yusuke as he continued to work on the roof.

"Kagome is a very secretive and mysterious girl. Apparently the well itself is some type of portal. To the Makai, Reikai, or another part of the world or even the country I do not know. I believe she may have overheard part of our conversation last night, she attempted to interrogate me on our way here," said Kurama as helped Yusuke strengthen the roof.

"I take it you evaded the questions with answers that were believable, but not too detailed, if at all," said Yusuke as he put the last piece of wood in place.

"Yes, however I believe we should be on our guard against anything that may happen, especially with Naraku running around. I was able to borrow some information from the Reikai archives on Naraku," said Kurama with a mischievous tone.

"I see, so what's the arachnid's record like?" asked Yusuke with obvious hatred in his tone of voice.

"He has killed numerous humans and Youkai in the past, but mainly Youkai these days. Strangely though he does not live in the Makai or Reikai, he lives in the Ningenkai, however not in this time. Apparently Enma has a time portal, which he sends messengers through straight to Naraku, but they hardly ever come back alive. Enma is using this portal to bring Naraku to this era and have him search the Mekai ruins for any hint of a powerful object or objects," said Kurama.

"You know Kurama, I'm starting to like what I did to Enma today," said Yusuke.

"What exactly did you do to him?" asked Kurama curiously.

"Ever heard the saying, 'curiosity killed the cat'?" asked Yusuke.

"Yes, however I am not a cat or cat Youkai, I am a Silver Kitsune. However I have a human body now and understand humanity much better. Thanks to practice, I can transform into four different forms. My current human form, my fox form, surprisingly a hanyou form, and my Yoko form," said Kurama as they climbed down from the well house rooftop.

"You sure like to gloat, you know that Kurama," said Yusuke as he put the tools away. "I think your dinner is ready."

Kurama nodded and went inside to wash up as Yusuke followed to give a report on his work on the well house rooftop. Once inside they found Mizu (Mrs. Higuraishi) setting the table for dinner.

"Hello Suichi, Yusuke, is everything alright?" asked Mizu.

"Yes, everything is fine Aunt Mizu, I just came to help with dinner," said Kurama politely.

"Okay, can you watch the food on the stove while I finish setting the table?" said Mizu.

Kurama nodded, as he turned the heat down on a pot that was about to over flow.

"Well Mrs. Higuraishi, I finished the work on the well house. You might want to have your property checked for termites though," said Yusuke.

"Hmm, alright, I'll do so. Heaven knows when the last time this property was checked for termites and other pests. I'll sign your work sheet now," said Mizu as Yusuke handed it to her. "Why don't you stay for dinner Yusuke."

"Thanks, but another time, I have a previous engagement that can't be rescheduled or blown off," said Yusuke as he left.

-

Elsewhere, unknown to Yusuke or anyone else they were being watched by a spy. Enma was not happy about what Yusuke had done to him. So he decided that the only reasonable way to pay him back was to hit him where it hurt the most, so he dispatched a stalker and a spy to watch him. However since Yusuke's family was dead, that made the job a lot harder. Especially since his and Keiko's argument and break up, this left them civil to each other most of the time, but still very spiteful towards each other. That ruled out harming her, but still the Higuraishi family seemed to have become friends with Yusuke for the most part, he would have to find ways that he could use that to his advantage. But there was a gnawing feeling in the back of his mind that disturbed him about the Higuraishi family.

Three Days Later

What disturbed him most about the Higuraishi family now, was that they were relatives of the Youkai Lord of the Southern Lands, Yoko Kurama. This made things much more difficult, since three quarters of the Makai were allied with each other. If one was attacked, then the other two would be drawn in through their treaties with the one being attacked, unless it was the Lord of the Western Lands that was attacked. However something bothered him about that, the Western Lands held powerful, yet mysterious Youkai. He would have to report back to his partner with the news and then they could go straight to Enma with the news of what they discovered, however unknown to the spy, his partner had been unfortunate enough to have a critical case of horrid luck and wouldn't be able to help the spy.

'Damn, where is that stalker, he's late,' thought the spy.

"Well now, what have we here? A spy or perhaps something else?" said a voice behind the spy, causing him to spin around quickly.

"Yes, a spy indeed," said the voice.

"No! Not you! Oh please not you!" cried the spy.

"Yes, me, I'm sure you know who I am," said Yoko.

"Yes, you're the infamous Yoko! The best thief the Makai and Reikai has ever known," said the spy as Yoko smiled pleased and begun his torture of the spy.

-

Meanwhile at the Higuraishi Shrine, Kagome was just finishing breakfast when she heard the scream from the woods surrounding the shrine.

"Ah! NO, PLEASE NO! NO MORE!" said the scream of a terrified being.

Kagome being who she was grabbed her arrows and ran into the woods to try and save the person who was being tortured. When she arrived in a clearing she saw a man with long silver-white hair in a white tunic standing there.

"Hey!" yelled Kagome.

This caught the attention of the man as he turned to her.

"What?" asked the man.

"Who are you!" demanded Kagome as she saw the badly beaten Youkai behind him. "And what were you doing to him and why!"

"My aren't you a very demanding pretty young maiden," said the man as she blushed from the comment, but still glared at him. "And stubborn I see."

"Just answer the damn question!" snapped Kagome.

"My such a dirty mouth you have, but very well I shall let him tell you who I am," said the man as he picked up the Youkai spy. "Tell her who I am or the forest shall feed on your carcass."

"Yes sir," said the spy as the man threw him to Kagome's feet. "He is the infamous and wanted criminal–"

"You little wretch, you dare try and lie your way out of this!" snarled the man angrily. "I am the infamous Yoko Kurama, the best thief there ever was. Now you spy are going to pay for your transgressions! I gave you a chance to live and tell Enma what you know, but now he won't ever find out!"

"That's what you think fool! Did you really think he would send only one of us? I have a partner!" said the spy as he started to laugh thinking what Yoko had done was fruitless.

"You mean this partner?" asked Yoko as he revealed the spy's partner bloodied and beaten, who now hung dead by the tree's vines.

The spy paled considerably as he realized he had signed his own death certificate by his words. "Oh no," whispered the spy.

"Indeed," said Yoko as he slashed the spy's throat, leaving him to slowly die.

"You didn't have to kill him!" snapped Kagome.

"He lives… for now," said Yoko.

"You… will not go… unfazed thief…" said the spy slowly gasping for breath in-between each fractured sentence. "You are almost drained… you will revert back… to your other form… she will know…"

"I will know what?" asked Kagome confused.

'Hmm, he is right, I need to revert back in order to sustain my energy. However I cannot revert back in front of Kagome,' thought Yoko.

"Nothing that concerns you maiden," said Yoko as he began to walk out of the clearing only to feel a sudden stab of pain shoot through his whole back. Turning he saw the spy smile smugly before falling back to weak to stand. "Fool."

With the snap of a wrist the spy's wound on his neck, opened he worse than before as he started to drown faster in is own blood. Yoko removed the knife from his back and drank some antidotes in case it had been dipped in poison or potions that could do him serious harm or could eventually cause him serious injury. That was when he felt it, he was too weak to escape and revert back. It was already happening because of his wound, inflicted by the now dead spy.

"The fool knew what he was doing after all," mumbled Yoko.

"What are you talking about?" asked Kagome.

"Nothing that concerns you, now go!" said Yoko.

"Why did you kill him?" asked Kagome.

"To protect your family as a favor to a friend, he helped me and I was going to return the favor. However even as I have done so, the fool knew too much about me and him to live," said Yoko as Kagome noticed his height was growing a bit shorter.

"What's happening to you?" asked Kagome.

"I'm reverting back, I had hoped that my training would help me, however I am still not close enough to that pinnacle to switch at will without side effects. I had hoped to leave, to try and preserve this secret, but alas I can't. Funny that I Yoko Kurama, Lord of the Southern Lands would be out done by a sneaky and persistent spy," said Yoko lightly chuckling at his words and thoughts.

"You mean you're going back to your normal form?" asked Kagome.

"Kind of, it is more like a form that was necessary at the time and I grew to like. Because of the circumstance under which it happened, I have four forms," said Yoko as his eyes changed to an emerald green and his hair began to show hints of red throughout it.

"You're bleeding from your head!" said Kagome shocked and worried.

"No," said Yoko softly as he summoned the last bits of his will to speed the reversion process up as to make it less painful, this caused a slight glow to surround his body.

After several minutes, the glow faded away and revealed Kagome to somebody that she cared deeply for and was close to.

-

Yusuke had arrived at the Higuraishi shrine in time to see a faint glow come from the well house and the roof gaining a new hole in it. Growling upon seeing the man who came from the well house he chased after him into the woods. After several minutes they came to a clearing, where they saw Kagome and Kurama sitting there.

-

Growling at seeing the other man leaning on Kagome he charged them, his claws outstretched as his rage took over. He smelled blood on Kagome, but failed to notice that it wasn't hers. However Kagome saw him and froze as she watched him charge her, she was for the first time in her life, truly scared of Inuyasha and what he might do to her. Closing her eyes, she waited to feel the searing pain that was to come, however after several seconds she opened her eyes to see Inuyasha slammed into a tree and then slammed into the ground afterwards.

-

Yusuke saw what the other man did, but he knew it was not as it seemed. Kurama was injured and Kagome was helping him. But when he saw the other man charge Kagome and Kurama his instincts took over and he chased after him. Being faster he was able to reach him and slam him into the tree rather hard and afterwards he slammed him into the ground even harder. Picking him up he pulled back his fist and slugged him so hard, he was knocked unconscious from the blow.

"Kagome, lets go, you have a lot of explaining to do!" said Yusuke as he picked the other guy up and threw him over his shoulder. Looking back he saw Kagome fuming and couldn't help but smirk at her. "You know Kagome, anybody ever told you you're real cute when you're angry?"

Upon seeing the blush grow across her face, he smirked and they headed back to the shrine. There questions would await all of them, along with answers to those questions. And hopefully a second chance and new outlook on those previously judged, along with a new respect for others.

­-

A/N: Well there it is, chapter two. I'm not really used to writing chapters like this, especially when I just want to expose everything at once. I hope you like this chapter and here is the poll:

Should Kagome take the Tantei to the Feudal Era with her? Yes or No, explain

(Note: Kuwabara is not a Tantei anymore, he quit. Keiko is not a Tantei either.)

What should the pairings be? (No Kur/Kag, Yus/Keiko, or Yaoi/Yuri.)

Yusuke/Kagome, Hiei/Kagome, Inuyasha/Kagome:

Sesshomaru/Kagome, Miroku/Kagome, Kurama/Sango:

Yusuke/Sango, Hiei/Sango, Miroku/Sango:

Inuyasha/Sango, Sesshomaru/Sango, Yusuke/Botan:

Kurama/Botan, Miroku/Botan, Inuyasha/Botan:

Sesshomaru/Botan, Hiei/Botan, Kurama/Kikyo:

Hiei/Kikyo: Sesshomaru/Kikyo: Inuyasha/Kikyo:

Yusuke/Kikyo, Miroku/Kikyo:

What should happen now?

Should something terrible happen yet? Yes or No, explain

Well that's it for the poll and I've decided, since nobody really submitted a review towards the contest that I'm just going to take it off at the next chapter, unless I can get some reviews on it.

Shadow Kage


	3. Revelations

A/N: Poll Pairing Results below, last chance to put in your votes for the ones with zero.

Yusuke/Kagome: 8, Hiei/Kagome: 2, Inuyasha/Kagome: 3, Sesshomaru/Kagome: 2

Miroku/Kagome: 0, Kurama/Sango: 0, Yusuke/Sango: 0, Hiei/Sango: 6, Miroku/Sango: 2

Inuyasha/Sango: 0, Sesshomaru/Sango: 0, Yusuke/Botan: 1, Kurama/Botan: 1

Miroku/Botan: 4, Inuyasha/Botan: 0, Sesshomaru/Botan: 1, Hiei/Botan: 0, Kikyo/None: 1

Kurama/Kikyo: 1, Hiei/Kikyo: 0, Sesshomaru/Kikyo: 1, Inuyasha/Kikyo: 4

Yusuke/Kikyo: 0, Miroku/Kikyo: 0, Yusuke/Keiko: 1, Kurama/None: 1, Hiei/None: 1

Thanks to everyone who voted on the Pairing's part of the poll and for the other parts as well. To find out what happens next, whether the Tantei go to the Feudal Era, what happens next, and whether something terrible happens or not, read the following chapter. Also, the note next to the chapter one poll is hereby dismissed on the part about Yusuke and Keiko.

Again, check chapter one for the disclaimer, and see note in chapter two at the beginning about the disclaimer!

Chapter Three: Revelations

When they arrived back Kagome's home they waited for someone to break the silence. Thankfully none had tried to kill one another… yet. The silence was broken by Inuyasha waking up groaning.

"What the hell hit me? I feel like I was just in a battle with a mountain, without Tetsaiga," groaned Inuyasha as he sat up.

"I think you went a bit over board Yusuke," said Kurama as Inuyasha tried to stand up, only to collapse back down to the floor.

"You think!" snapped Kagome angrily as she helped Inuyasha into a chair.

"Can I help it if he's one of the weakest opponents I've ever faced?" asked Yusuke. "Besides, since he's still alive, that counts for endurance."

"Shut up already Yusuke!" snapped Kagome angrily, causing all of them jump a little. "Now somebody start talking or I'm going to do some major purifying!"

"Just calm down already Kagome," said Inuyasha as he rubbed his ears.

"It's what you get Inuyasha!" said Kagome as Inuyasha flinched at her words.

"Where would you like us to start Kagome?" asked Kurama politely.

"How about we start with you first, cousin? How come I wasn't able to sense that you were a Youkai?" asked Kagome testily.

"Probably because I am not a Youkai, yet I am a Youkai. I have four forms, my human form, my Youkai form, my hanyou form, and my fox form. Eighteen years ago I was known by all Youkai as Yoko, the Greatest Thief the Makai had ever seen or known of. I was able to get past barriers, spells, charms, traps, guards, and even hunters. One day I got careless on a trip and was badly wounded by a hunter. My body was dying, so with the last of my strength I forced my soul from my body into the Ningenkai. There I took possession of the unborn child of Shiori Minamino, I became Suichi Minamino. Suichi's soul and my own merged somewhat, with my Youkai soul being the dominant soul. That is why I have my four forms," said Kurama. "Originally I planned to leave at the age of ten, when my powers had plenty of time to rejuvenate, however humanity grew on me and I stayed. Around the time I was fourteen, my mother was seriously ill. This was also the exact same time I stole an item from King Enma's volt that would save her life, but with a heavy price."

"What was the price?" asked Kagome curiously.

"My life," stated Kurama as Kagome looked at him shocked. "Yusuke was assigned to bring me in for stealing the Forlorn Hope. When he learned of my plan, he attempted to give his own life for my mother instead of me giving mine for her. In the end in honor of the sacrifice, the Forlorn Hope took no life, but still granted my wish."

"So Yusuke works for King Enma?" asked Kagome.

"Like I would ever work for the bastard," said Yusuke from the couch he was sitting on. "When I found out my father was Raizen, Enma tried to have me killed for a damn third time. However things didn't turn out so well for his little crew."

"What did you do?" asked Kagome nervously.

"Killed them, but left the one that got Kurama here for him," said Yusuke.

"Uh, am I missing something here?" asked Inuyasha confused at what was going on.

"Oh yeah, that reminds me," said Yusuke as he stood up and walked over to Inuyasha and slugged him real hard in the right cheek. "That's for breaking the roof to the well house after I just get done fixing it."

"Yusuke!" snapped Kagome. "Have you ever thought that Inuyasha is the one keeping you employed here?"

"Yeah, but that still doesn't mean I like having my work ruined," said Yusuke as he glared at her. "Is there anything else you would like to know!"

"Yeah, what did you mean by 'for a third time'?" asked Kagome.

"Exactly what I meant, I've died two times already. The first was saving a little kid from getting hit by a car, which is how this all started. I was sent on a lot of cases which pissed me off when I wanted some R and R for myself. I had to fight Gouki, Hiei, Baldock, Rando, Zuzaku, a bunch of worthless minions, Miyuki of the Triad, Immaki of the Triad, Gokumonki of the Triad, Toguro at twenty percent, a worthless Youkai who attacked me in my sleep, a good fight was with Chuu, a fight I didn't like was against En, Ryou, Kai, a lousy one was against Bakuken who fights with his sweat, another good fight was against Jin the Wind Master, then there was my rematch with Toguro at one hundred percent his true strength, that was one hell of a match. Then there was the fight with Sensui who killed me a second time, but in the Makai. Raizen awakened my Youkai blood and took possession of me to fight Sensui, but I resisted and killed Sensui. Afterwards I had to fight Raizen's generals and beat them, only after I failed numerous times did I beat them, but then the real challenge happened. Facing my old man," said Yusuke as rubbed his jaw. "Those fights were real, nothing fake about them; he would beat me to the verge of death and leave me lying on the ground to survive on my own. Finally I was able to beat him one day, but then the Youkai Lord's of the Eastern and Southern Lands decided to try and take over the Northern Lands. I stopped them with a choice, fight or hold a tournament to decide who would rule. I fought many Youkai, each real strong, but won, until I fought the Youkai Lord of the Southern Lands, Yomi. He beat me and when I awoke I thought I was still fighting him and listening for the countdown. But I got him back; I killed the idiot, putting Kurama as Acting Youkai Lord of the Southern Lands."

"Um… okay, you've been in several fights, got your ass beat, but came out on top anyway?" asked Kagome summarizing it all up.

"Pretty much, anything else?" asked Yusuke.

"Um… not at the moment, but your still not off the hook!" said Kagome.

"Yeah, yeah, now let's here your story Kagome," said Yusuke as he smirked at Kagome who had froze at the mention of her turn to be interrogated.

"Um… would you look at the time, it's late, better get to bed," said Kagome as she headed for the stairs only to have a katana at her neck a split second later.

"Your not going anywhere ningen," said Hiei.

"What the hell are you trying to do? Kill her?" demanded Inuyasha loudly.

"Keep out of it hanyou," said Hiei nastily.

"WHAT?" roared Inuyasha angrily.

"Sit down dog boy, or Hiei will dissect you," said Yusuke as he grabbed Inuyasha and threw him into the chair. "Now Kagome sit down and start talking. Hiei has been known for his tendencies to 'slip' with a katana and the results are not very pretty."

"Okay," said Kagome sitting down after catching Yusuke's warning about Hiei. "Where do you want me to start?"

"For starters let's start with dog boy here," said Yusuke as Inuyasha growled at him.

"Okay, his name is Inuyasha and he's from five hundred years in the past, the Feudal Era if you will. I met him when I fell down the well outside in the shed. I had happened to unknowingly have the Shikon Jewel inside of me. When I fell down a Centipede Youkai dragged me through to that time trying to get the jewel. I escaped its clutches and found Inuyasha bound to the Holy Tree with an arrow through his chest. Later the Centipede Youkai returned for a second attempt and was able to rip the Jewel out of my body, by cutting my side open. During this time Inuyasha was revived somehow and killed the Centipede Youkai, then went after me, for the Shikon Jewel. A Priestess in the nearby village had this necklace put around his neck, by chanting some type of prayer, I think. Anyway when ever I say sit thud he goes crashing into the ground," said Kagome.

"KAGOME!" snapped Inuyasha angrily, but shut up before he said too much, as she glared at him venomously.

"Anyway, after that a Crow Youkai got a hold of the Jewel and went on a rampage. So I accidentally shattered the Jewel into a lot of small shards. So Inuyasha and I go searching for them to put the jewel back together. Along the way we met up with the orphaned Kitsune kit Shippo, who joined us in our search. I've adopted him as my own child now, basically because he's cute and I love him. As time went by we were joined by a lecherous monk with a curse in his right hand, because of Naraku," said Kagome as she spat the name, Naraku, out like it had a bitter taste to it.

"What's this about a lecherous monk?" asked Yusuke curiously.

"His name is Miroku and because his grandfather tried to kill Naraku, his entire family line as a curse on them that will be passed down generation to generation. It's basically a black hole or bottomless air void that sucks everything into it and slowly grows by the day. It threatens to consume him entirely, so he goes around and asks every pretty girl he meets to bear his child. He even asked me!" said Kagome giggling a little.

"WHAT!" asked Yusuke and Kurama at the same time.

"Well I declined, at first I thought he was just joking, but after he started to grab my butt…"

"HE WHAT!" exclaimed Kurama and Yusuke at the same time again.

"He grabbed my butt and I slapped him hard across the face. But he hasn't tried it to me again, mainly because Inuyasha would kill him and I would knee him. Besides I'm sympathetic to him, he watched his father die before his very eyes, then the cursed void appear in his own right hand," said Kagome.

"That's harsh, a kid watching his own father die? What about his mother?" asked Yusuke curiously.

"Don't know, Miroku has never spoken of her. We can only presume she died giving birth to him," said Kagome. "Anyway later on we came across a village of Taijiya (Youkai Exterminators), however they had all been massacred by Naraku and other Youkai, which we found out about later. She joined are group and with her came Kirara, a two-tailed Fire Neko. We've been traveling together for a while now and have met all kinds of Youkai, good and bad. We've had run ins with Inuyasha's older brother Sesshomaru, the Panther Youkai tribe, the Wolf Youkai Tribe, whose leader says he is in love with me, and many more Youkai."

She didn't notice it, but Hiei and Kurama had, at the mention of a Wolf Youkai in love with Kagome, his reiki had spiked momentarily. It was clear to them that the Yusuke, though Lord of the Northern Lands was still very young by Youkai standards and was in the stage of his life where was prone to find many females attractive. However as was with all Youkai there was always a unique one, one that stood out from the rest in more ways than one and Yusuke was obviously one of them. He wasn't like most Youkai, he had a high sense of honor and integrity that most Youkai Lords never have or had or even develop.

"Go on Kagome," said Kurama gently.

"Okay, um… oh yeah, we have nearly killed Naraku several times, but he always uses his Miasma to escape us, while we try and survive the Miasma," said Kagome as she decided to go one, but leave a major part out. "Later we fought a Dark Miko, who had joined with Naraku, who at this point had most of the Jewel."

"I see, what became of this Dark Miko?" asked Kurama curiously.

"She lost, she merged with a Giant Ogre Youkai and Inuyasha used Tetsaiga's ultimate technique the Backlash Wave on her, which send her own attack right back at her, along with the Wind Scar," said Kagome. "However before we could get the Jewel, one of Naraku's incarnations, Kagura the Wind Sorceress got it and disappeared before we got to her."

"You're leaving something out wench, how did Naraku get that many pieces of the Jewel. Unless somebody is scheming with Naraku behind your back," said Hiei. "Perhaps the Monk? In exchange for the curse to be lifted?"

Hiei had touched a sensitive spot and he knew it. This was what he was hoping for, to anger her enough to just blurt out the answer he was searching for.

"MIROKU WOULD NEVER DO THAT! IT WAS ALL THAT DAMN BITCH, KIKYO"S FAULT THAT NARAKU HAS SO MUCH FO THE JEWEL! IF SHE HADN"T STOLEN IT FROM ME IN THE FIRST PLACE, THEN WE WOULDN'T BE IN THIS BAD A SITUATION!" snapped Kagome angrily, but stopped and paled when she realized what she said and saw Hiei smirking.

"I thought Kikyo was dead?" asked Yusuke confused at what Kagome had just said.

"She was, but a damn Youkai Witch brought her back to life in a body of clay. She has part of my soul in her and uses other souls to hold her form together. She is constantly flirting and seemingly attempting to mate with Inuyasha and drag him to hell," said Kagome as she glared at Inuyasha who looked sheepish. "What did you do Inuyasha?"

"Um… uh… nothing. Nothing that is any of your damn business you stupid wench!" said Inuyasha bitterly and then mumbled under his breath, "Stupid wench, isn't nothing like Kikyo, she's just a stupid Shard Detector, unlike Kikyo."

Yusuke had heard Inuyasha and growled threateningly at Inuyasha, who return the growl as a challenge to his pride, honor, and his parent's names. Kurama and Hiei had understood the warning, but did not expect Inuyasha to respond with a challenge to the first knock out, which was Yusuke's specialty.

"What's going on? Inuyasha? Yusuke?" asked Kagome confused.

"Kagome step away from them! Inuyasha issued a challenge to Yusuke and was stupid enough to also insult his mother and father," said Kurama cautiously as not to get drawn into the challenge.

"INUYASHA!" snapped Kagome angrily, but he just ignored her and lunged at Yusuke, who dodged and smashed his fist into Inuyasha face knocking him out cold.

"Stupid mutt, never challenge me to a fist fight, you'll always loose," said Yusuke as he kicked Inuyasha awake.

"My head, what the hell hit me?"asked Inuyasha groaning,as he leaned against the wall dizzy.

"My fist is what hit you mutt," snapped Yusuke. "Now you take back what you said about my parents and I might just let you go with that headache."

"Feh, it was a lucky shot that was all. If you think that's going to stop me, then you're sadly mistaken, your parents are lower than the lowest Youkai," said Inuyasha.

/Crack/

(/blah/ means an action.) (A/N: to the left of this one. wouldn't let me do it normally.)

Inuyasha howled in agonizing pain as he held his left shoulder, arm, wrist, hand, and fingers. He had stepped over the line that time and Yusuke had repaid him, by breaking his left arm in several places, along with his hand and all its fingers, then his wrist, and finally his shoulder. Inuyasha was in extreme pain, knowing it would take about a week for his bones to heal back to normal. Yusuke had done an astounding job on making Inuyasha suffer, by just a few quick punches, jabs, and twists.

"Now would you like me to do to your other arm, with its appendages, and both your legs, what I just did to your left arm and its appendages?" asked Yusuke.

Inuyasha shook his fearfully as looked into Yusuke's eyes, which terrified him the most.

"Then are you going to apologize and take back what you said about my parents? If you don't then I will do to you, what I did to Toguro," said Yusuke as Inuyasha quickly apologized and took back what he said. "Good, now next time I might let Hiei take care of you. He hasn't had too much fun lately and I'm sure he would just love to use you as target practice with his abilities."

Inuyasha's eyes widened in understanding of the impending threat that would hang over him for a long, long time. Yusuke quickly snapped half of Inuyasha's joints back into place, causing him to howl in outrage and agonizing pain.

"Oh? Would you like me to put them back to the way they were?" questioned Yusuke with a smirk to Hiei who readied his katana.

"NO!" replied Inuyasha quickly and walked over to a corner and sat down out of the way.

"Now Kagome I believe you had a question for the mutt," said Yusuke as Kagome nodded and walked right over to Inuyasha angrily.

"What did you do Inuyasha!" said Kagome sternly.

"I uh… that is uh…"

Inuyasha didn't have to finish or answer completely, the faint blush on his face and his stammering was all Kagome needed, to now the answer. With tears in her eyes she ran up the stairs straight to her room, where she began to cry. She had loved Inuyasha and he had betrayed her in the worst way possible. He had done the unthinkable.

"Alright mutt, what the hell did you do!" said Yusuke extremely angry.

Inuyasha remained silent and looked at the ground guiltily, but then turned to Yusuke and spit in his face and slashed him across the face with his claws. "It's none of your damn business, you hanyou wannabe!" snapped Inuyasha who immediately regretted what he said without thinking.

However Yusuke pretended not to hear or he just ignored it… for now. He turned to the others with a deep frown upon his face and nodded to Hiei. "I'm going to go talk to her," said Yusuke as he made his way upstairs.

Finding her bedroom was simple enough, knocking on the door, he heard her tell him to go away. But he couldn't, he wouldn't, not when she was like this.

"Kagome," started Yusuke, but was cut off.

"Don't! Don't say your sorry, just don't say that!" said Kagome as she tried to hold back the tears.

"I won't say it, even though I am, Kagome what did he do to you?" asked Yusuke, his voice filled with concern, but it went unnoticed to Kagome.

"It's not any of your damn business Urameshi!" snapped Kagome bitterly. "GET OUT! I HATE YOU! I HATE ALL OF YOU! NOW GET OUT! GET OUT! I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN! ANY OF YOU! NOW GET OUT!"

Yusuke was taken back and he felt a deep pain his chest. The same pain he felt when Keiko had betrayed him. But he had been willing to forgive her and eventually the pain went away, until he betrayed him again and that time left him. So he fell into a deep depression, but came out of it, when he learned his mother was sick and slowly dieing.

"Alright, I'll go, you'll never have to see me again. If you would please inform your mother. I'm resigning from my job here and won't be back to collect my final pay check," said Yusuke as he left heartbroken. "Hiei, come on, let's let Kurama or Kagome deal with this scum, he's not worth wasting anymore energy on."

"Now you are starting to sound like a true Youkai," said Hiei.

"I know, but it's true, he's the lowest Youkai around," said Yusuke as Hiei just nodded following Yusuke.

As they walked down the street they ran into Botan.

"Oh, Yusuke, Hiei, just the two I was looking for. Koenma has a mission for you! Yusuke what happened to your face?" asked Botan concerned.

"Just a lucky shot by a Youkai," said Yusuke as he took the file. "You'll find Kurama at my former workplace."

"What does Koenma want now?" asked Hiei irritably.

"Doesn't say, just has directions to the meeting place. Might as well see what he wants, we might actually get to have a real challenge this time," said Yusuke.

A half hour later they arrived at the meeting place as Botan landed with Kurama right behind her. A couple of minutes late Koenma appeared in, surprisingly, his teenage form, instead of his toddler form.

"I'm glad you all made it. This mission will greatly please you Yusuke; we've found Naraku, unfortunately he's not in the Makai or the Ningenkai. At least not this Ningenkai, he's five hundred years in the past and is using a Time Portal, one that my father has been using to bring him here to this time and take him back to his own time. I have just forced my father into retirement and am currently rewriting a lot of laws. However Naraku is a threat I want exterminated as soon as possible. So I'm sending you four back to the Feudal Era to get rid of him. History has already depicted that four strangers, three Youkai and a young maiden, appeared and made the land peaceful for humans and was able to help Youkai and human to live together in harmony or rather in cooperation. During this time though, my kind were threatened by Youkai, so we were extremely unfriendly towards them. You may meet up with my younger self and father. If you do then Botan will show them the Reikai Seal, which shows that you are warriors under the Reikai, but are also allowed leniency to follow your own lives," said Koenma. "Sadly once you are in the Feudal Era, I will destroy the Time Portal. Only my younger self, my father, or someone else can you get back to this time."

"Fine, let's go, the sooner Naraku is dead, the sooner I can get on with my life," said Yusuke.

"Thank you Yusuke," said Koenma as he extended his hand to Yusuke in respect, which shocked everybody, if there was one thing that Koenma's people did not do it was show Youkai, Hanyou's, or humans respect.

"You know Koenma, your rule might just bring about a new wave of hanyou's," said Yusuke jokingly as he shook Koenma's hand.

In the next instant they were gone, hurtling through time, to the very spot they were standing with Koenma, five hundred years in the future.

"Let's go," said Yusuke, as the others followed. "Botan what species is Koenma?"

"Yes, what species is Koenma? I don't believe I've ever heard him mention it before," said Kurama.

"Well, okay, I'll tell, but you have to promise not to tell Koenma," said Botan.

"We promise Botan, on our honor as Youkai Lord's," said Yusuke as Hiei and Kurama nodded slightly to indicate they promised as well.

"Well alright, Koenma is a Reikan," said Botan as they stared at her like she was joking.

"You mean to tell me, that we have been working for the Youkai Race's greatest enemy in the history of the Reikai and Makai?" asked Yusuke.

"Yes, you've also befriended some, haven't you?" said Botan slyly.

"Yes, we have, so King Koenma of the Reikan is who we work for and have allied ourselves with. I have to say, he must be one unique Reikan," said Yusuke as Kurama nodded in agreement, along with Hiei.

"Tell us Botan, are you a Reikan as well?" asked Kurama.

"Yes, however sadly those Reikan who aren't born of royalty or nobility are stuck as the Grim Reapers. We navigate the River of Styx and guide the souls of the dead the Reikai for their judgment. Ironically though, Koenma has fallen in love with one of us 'lowly Reikan's' and angered his father," said Botan giggling.

"Fine, let's set up camp and in the morning we'll find a village with a miko we can use as a central point in our search for Naraku," said Yusuke.

-

Meanwhile Kagome had pulled herself together somewhat, enough to let her mother know she was going to the Feudal Era. Inuyasha had already left for the Feudal Era, but Kagome was stocking up big time on everything, since she was going to be there for quite a while. She was still mad at Inuyasha and felt betrayed, she didn't know if she could ever forgive Inuyasha for what he did to her. After she had everything she needed she left for the Feudal Era. When she climbed out of the well in the Feudal Era her friends were there to help her out and help carry the supplies. They noticed she seemed angry with Inuyasha, for she didn't even look in his direction or say anything to him. It was normal that they would get angry with each other sometimes and not speak. However they knew something had happened, something that had changed their relationship completely, for the better or for the worst they didn't know. Nor did they ask, as not to upset her or risk their friendship. When she was ready, she would tell them.

"Any rumors about Jewel Shards or Naraku?" asked Kagome.

"None, but we have heard rumors of three Youkai and a young maiden traveling together and helping the villages out with the Youkai. It seems they are finding ways for the Youkai and humans to live together in cooperation. They have developed a system, that allows Youkai and humans to trade together, with each other, and in some cases even become friends. The Youkai swear blood oaths and honor bound oaths that they will not betray the humans willingly or, if they can help it, unwillingly. They will help protect the villages and villagers against invaders, bandits, thieves, and other Youkai. They are commonly called the Kumori Wraiths, they come in the middle of the day, refuse food and gifts, then once they have helped the Youkai and humans come to terms, they mysteriously disappear in the middle of the night, leaving no trace that they had ever been there, except for a black circle with red writing in it, that was known to be Ancient Youkaian. It read: The Kumori Wraiths, which was translated to the Shadow Wraiths. It's said that they have a camp near the Northern Mountains, at the edge of the Western Lands," explained Miroku as they continued into Kaede's Village.

"Do you think they could be a possible threat, merely using trickery to raise an army?" asked Kagome curiously.

"No, at least not in raising an army or using trickery. They seem sincere in what they are doing, one of them is said to have a very dark aura around him, however when attempting to search his mind for any malice or trickery, each time the miko would come out of her trance extremely pale and frightened, but with news of no malice or trickery in their words. They are honorable, but if they are able to frighten such powerful miko's, then imagine what would happen if Naraku got to them before we did. He could absorb them and become even more powerful, strong enough to perhaps beat even Inuyasha's Backlash Wave," said Miroku causing them all to stop and look at him.

"You're joking right?" asked Kagome hoarsely.

"I wish I were Lady Kagome, however if they are this powerful, imagine what terrors Naraku could do if he absorbed them or got them onto his side," said Miroku as everyone paled at the thought of what Naraku could do if he were even more powerful than before or however powerful he currently was.

"Then I guess we send a warning to Sesshomaru about these four and how Naraku might decide to go after them," said Kagome.

"That was already taken care of, but he arrived yesterday and we have been discussing what to about these four. In a way they are challenging his right to these lands, as they are apart of the Western Lands. Lord Sesshomaru has suggested that we attempt to either eliminate then, before they become a problem, or we get them to join the fight against Naraku. Even you have to admit Inuyasha, that with more eyes and ears across the lands, we would have a better chance at finding Naraku's current lair," said Miroku as Inuyasha just shrugged. "Lady Kagome, I don't mean to press you into anything, but as something happened between you and Inuyasha, while you were in your own time?"

"Let's just say that he and Lords of the Northern and Southern Lands, along with a friend of theirs had a not so friendly introduction. The Lord of the Northern Lands actually physically injured Inuyasha and was enjoying it. He broke Inuyasha's entire left arm, from fingertip to his shoulder. Then he roughly put them back into place at the pressure points along that arm, which made the pain worse for a short period of time. Inuyasha himself got into a fist fight with the Lord of the Northern Lands, which he lost dreadfully with zero hits connected. The Lord of the Northern Lands punched Inuyasha once, knocking him out cold, then he kicked Inuyasha awake and had him… let's say that Inuyasha has a newfound respect for pain and injuries," said Kagome.

"I see and the other two did nothing about this? To try and stop him from harming Inuyasha?" asked Sango.

"No, the Lord of the Northern Lands threatened to have Inuyasha used has target practice for their friend's abilities. They are incredibly powerful and incredible, and what's even more incredible is that the Lord of the Northern Lands has made enemies of a powerful ruler in another realm and isn't even scared of him," said Kagome.

"He is either a fool then, or more confident than anybody I have ever come across," said Miroku sternly.

"How about both?" asked Sango trying to lighten the mood.

"Okay, now enough talk about the past, let us get going," said Miroku as they gathered all the supplies they needed and a little more.

-

Yusuke and the others had done a good job in helping set up treaties. They had even earned a name for their little group, the Kumori Wraiths. Instead of sleeping or resting at the time his thoughts had wandered to Kagome and what she had said to him. She hated him and never wanted to see him again… those words had hurt him worse than any of his worst enemies or his old man when he was still being trained in the Makai. They had also reopened old wounds which had almost completely healed, but had been torn open by getting his heart broken yet again. He was tempted to just become like his old man, cold and heartless, however he knew he could never do that, he had witnessed the best and worst parts of humanity and the Youkai, never could he become heartless and cold, at least not without hurting those around him.

Flashback

(A/N: Bold and Italics mean song lyrics. White Reflection Lyrics, from Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz, not owned by me.)

Yusuke had returned from the Makai, he was a new man. He had grown to appreciate what he had before he had it no more. His first stop was to see Keiko. He found her at their spot, from before he went to the Makai. It was there that he finally admitted his true feelings for, it was there that he finally thought he had found something in his life worth dieing for, worth sacrificing his own life to protect.

**_I feel your love reflection_****_In your eyes as they gaze back into mine_****_Writing a distant, neverending story_**

"Keiko…"

"Yusuke…"

Nothing more had to be said between the two as they kissed.

**_As if throwing off the sadness and pain, _****_I flap my wings,_****_and in my heart, I spread wide_****_the wings of courage that you've given to me. _**For the first time in his life, Yusuke was truly happy. Not only did he find the love of his life, but he had found out that she felt the same way about him.**_Ah... I want to feel the beat of this irreplacable love _****_so much, it's heart-wrenching and maddening._**

They remained in each others arms, even after they had broken their kiss. In his heart Yusuke felt that Keiko was the one, so he had proposed to her with an extremely rare gem. The gem of the only Koorime/Toushin Hanyou in the history of the Makai. The gem was red, surrounded by an icy blue swirling all around it, as if into the depths of the red part.

**_I feel your love reflection_****_passionately uniting our dreams into one, _****_in our youth, we seek each other out,_****_without being afraid of our own faults!_**

His heart leapt when she accepted it and became his fiancée, he was happy. They broke the news to the others when they arrived. Everyone was happy for him, even Hiei who never showed emotion, at least not very much.

**_I feel your love reflection_****_In your eyes as they gaze back into mine_****_Writing a distant, neverending story_**

That day they spent catching up and not hiding anything, at least Yusuke wasn't hiding anything. He made sure not to make it too detailed as to scare her, but she had a far away look in her eyes. Yusuke was worried that he had already scared her.

**_We quietly express our overflowing emotions_****_with our bare skin,_****_as if to embrace _****_the strength to be gentle..._**

Kuwabara who was supposed to be engaged to Yukina also had that far away look in his eyes. He met Keiko's as Yusuke went to talk with Kurama about how his mother was doing. It was that day, he learned of her illness and how she was slowly dieing.

**_Ah... Aa, I want to hold my head up high,_****_And lithely go beyond this violent era! _**

Keiko had made an excuse to leave, something about how her parents got worried about her sometimes when she didn't check in. But that day she supposedly had promised to help them out with a few errands that evening.

**_I feel your love reflection_****_The truth that we share_****_As long as we exchange kisses,_****_we don't need anything else anymore!_**

Kuwabara had also made an excuse to leave, about how he had to get back to his job. This shocked Yusuke, since when did Kuwabara have a job. He figured Kuwabara might have actually matured a bit more.

**_I feel your love reflection_****_We'll stand firm and fight, _****_believing in the passion we'll never give up. It's our neverending story_**

This left only Yukina, Genkai, Hiei, Kurama, Botan, Koenma, and Botan left at the beach to catch up. Yusuke now regarded Genkai has not only his mentor, friend, and ally, but as his adopted grandmother. She had been there when Yusuke needed her most and had always helped him when he needed it.

**_I feel your love reflection_****_passionately uniting our dreams into one,_****_in our youth, we seek each other out,_****_without being afraid of our own faults!_**

However it was several months later that Yusuke's and Keiko's relationship began to fall apart. She didn't want to spend time with Yusuke, which was slowly breaking his heart, then came the faithful day when Keiko had grown bold when Yusuke had left on mission to the Makai. While there he had been granted status as the Lord of the Northern Lands, since he was recognized not only as a skilled fighter, but also as an incredible being of honor and courage. When he had returned he found Keiko in bed with somebody else, someone he had not suspected could or even would or could do something like this to him, his heart was shattered.

**_I feel your love reflection_**

**_In your eyes as they gaze back into mine_**

**_Writing a distant, neverending story_**

That was when Yusuke had snapped and roared at the top of his lungs at the betrayal. This had awakened the two occupants in the bed to see a fuming Yusuke. He had completely destroyed half of the upstairs. However what caught their attention most, was not the fury that was clearly evident on his face and in his posture, but the tears escaping from his eyes. He grabbed the gem he had given Keiko and destroyed it with his bare hands, leaving nothing but a pile of dust behind.

"GET OUT!" roared Yusuke as Keiko and her companion quickly dressed and started to leave. "NOT YOU KEIKO! YOU HAVE A LOT TO EXPLAIN!"

Keiko had put it into such simple terms that his already shattered heart was shattered even more. She hated him, she didn't love him; she never truly loved him with her heart and soul; it had just been a simple school girl crush, which had led her to the one she truly loved, Kuwabara. From there it had led to Yukina's heart being broken as well and Kuwabara and Keiko having made enemies of the Reikai Tantei.

End Flashback

Kurama had sensed Yusuke's distress and Yusuke told him what Kagome had said to him and how it affected him, bringing back old memories that he wished to forget and never remember.

"I know how you feel Yusuke, a girl by the name of Yokuna broke my heart. She was a fellow Kitsune, but she was also a black Kitsune. When she betrayed me like she had, I was sad and the memories never go away. You merely have to learn with them and keep moving forward. Keiko broke your heart terribly after you had given her a precious gift, which she threw away foolishly. I believe that Kagome may not have entirely meant what she told you, she was upset and that tends to cloud peoples judgment and they are often at times quick at what they say without truly realizing the repercussions. Sometimes it is best to let them be, but it is also good to help them let it all out, so it won't build up and turn around and hurt them," said Kurama sincerely.

"When did you get so wise Kurama?" asked Yusuke with a smile.

"I have had a long time to think, both as Yoko and as my current self. True I am smart and intelligent, but sometimes wisdom is all you have. That and intuition," said Kurama.

"Thanks, you're a true friend," said Yusuke with a smile as he went to bed, finally able to rest in some peace.

-

Kagome and the others and gotten a bit of a late start, but were able to make good time, making it all the way to the ruin's of the Taijiya Village. There they stayed the night and the following morning they set off towards the rendezvous point they were to meet Sesshomaru at.

A Few Hours Later

They had made extremely good timing, especially since no Youkai wanted to try and mess with a fuming Miko in the group. It was around two in the afternoon that they arrived at one of the villages that had been helped by the mysterious Kumori Wraiths.

"I am telling you my lord, they wanted no tribute, we offered food and gifts in thanks for their help, but the refused them, they said they didn't need them, but we did," said a villager to Sesshomaru.

"I see, what did these four look like?" asked Sesshomaru.

"The shortest one, wore nothing but black, except for a white head band, white bandages on his right arm, and a white belt. His hair looked like a black flame almost, with a white streak in it. He had ruby eyes and when spoken to, he ignored us. It seemed as though he were bored and waiting for one of the Youkai to attack a villager or him. Another was quite tall, he had long silver-white hair, he dressed simply in a white tunic, he had canine ears on top of his head as well," said the villager.

"A hanyou?" asked Sesshomaru curiously.

"No my lord, he was a Kitsune of the rarest kind, a pure silver," said the villager now having Sesshomaru's full attention.

"A silver Kitsune, interesting. The others?" said Sesshomaru.

"The third was very arrogant, he had long black hair, with dark eyes. He had markings on his face, upper arms, and lower arms around his wrists. I could just make out some marks on his torso area, so he might have some on his back as well," said the villager.

"I see, the maiden?" asked Sesshomaru.

"She had the most unusual color hair, it was a turquoise color. She was always very excited, full of energy, but was very wise, she was able to keep the other three fighting each other, whenever they got into a disagreement," said the villager.

"Go," said Sesshomaru and the villager left.

"Lord Sesshomaru," said Kagome. "Have you been able to find Kumori Wraiths?"

"No, I gathered information on them instead. They fight amongst themselves and the maiden is who keeps them from killing each other. She may be the group's leader," said Sesshomaru, noticing Inuyasha cradling his left arm carefully. "What happened Inuyasha, loose a battle?"

"NO!" snapped Inuyasha.

"Yes you did Inuyasha! You lost to the Lord of the Northern Lands in my era!" snapped Kagome angrily.

"The Lord of the Northern Lands merely broke his arm?" asked Sesshomaru.

"Yes, he angered him, so he broke his arm and snapped it back into place at the pressure points. He was even threatened to be used as target practice," said Kagome.

"It is unwise to anger the Lord of the Northern Lands, even his descendant as it seems it is. The Youkai in the Northern Lands are extremely powerful, the current ruler is Raizen of the Toushin," said Sesshomaru.

"Feh, whatever, I can take him," said Inuyasha. "All I need is Tetsaiga and I can beat him without breaking a sweat and still have plenty of energy to spare."

"Don't kid yourself Inuyasha," said Kagome.

(A/N: If the above line is a quote from the show, I don't own it, if not then it's mine.)

-

A/N: Well that's it for the third chapter. Sorry it took so long to finish, I put up the chapter before the Epilogue on _Dark Tide: Shadow Saiyan_. Now since I haven't really received any more votes for the pairings, then here are the pairs that can be voted on:

Yusuke/Kagome: 8, Hiei/Kagome: 2, Inuyasha/Kagome: 3, Sesshomaru/Kagome: 2

Hiei/Sango: 6, Miroku/Sango: 2, Yusuke/Botan: 1, Kurama/Botan: 1, Miroku/Botan: 4

Sesshomaru/Botan: 1, Kikyo/None: 1, Kurama/Kikyo: 1, Sesshomaru/Kikyo: 1

Inuyasha/Kikyo: 4, Yusuke/Keiko: 1, Kurama/None: 1, Hiei/None: 1

At the end of the fourth chapter, an pairings with three or less votes are going to go the way of the pairings with zero votes (i.e., I'm going to remove them). I don't really have a poll right now, except the votes for these pairings and about three more questions.

Should Kagome and the others discover Yusuke's group's camp yet? Yes or No, Explain.

Who should Kurama, be paired with? (aside from above pairings) Your choice.

Should the others appear yet? (Jin, Yukina, Touya, etc.) Yes or No, Explain.

Well that's it for the poll, forty-seven and a half pages total so far for all the chapters, fifteen and a half pages for Chapter Three, wow. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far.

Shadow Kage


	4. Revelations II

A/N: Chapter three has been posted and I have already received several reviews for it. Now I have been told as a piece of advice not to put a poll at the end of each chapter. If I did this then how would everyone who is reading these chapters know what the pairing results are? I am holding a vote on this at the end of the chapter. Now here are the current results for the pairings, remember anything below a three is going by the time you get to the poll, except the Kurama/Yukina pairing, that was just added on 5/12/05, now the current pairing results:

Yusuke/Kagome: 10, Hiei/Kagome: 2, Inuyasha/Kagome: 4, Sesshomaru/Kagome: 2

Hiei/Sango: 6, Miroku/Sango: 3, Yusuke/Botan: 1, Kurama/Botan: 1, Miroku/Botan: 4

Sesshomaru/Botan: 2, Kikyo/None: 1, Kurama/Kikyo: 1, Sesshomaru/Kikyo: 1

Inuyasha/Kikyo: 4, Yusuke/Keiko: 1, Kurama/None: 2, Hiei/None: 2, Kurama/Yukina: 1

For the disclaimer check chapter one, this type of message will be at the beginning of each chapter after chapter one, so deal with it!

Chapter Four:Revelations II

Somewhere in Feudal Japan

Kagome and the others were heading to a village that was being terrorized by Youkai. The Youkai were seemingly after something and it was said that they had a cross or something along those lines on their foreheads. They had never heard of such Youkai before, but they were going top investigate and help the village if they had to. When they arrived they saw the village was nearly in ruins and Kagura was there watching the other Youkai do the destruction.

"Kagura!" snarled Inuyasha as he charged her.

"Inuyasha, so nice to see you again," said Kagura sarcastically.

"What are you doing here? What did these people ever do to you or Naraku?" demanded Inuyasha angrily.

"I'm merely following order's Inuyasha, now leave while you have a chance, this doesn't concern you," said Kagura.

"Oh yeah? WIND SCAR!" yelled Inuyasha unleashing the attack at Kagura who dodged it and soared up high into the sky on her feather.

Then they heard something like screaming as they saw a Youkai with a cross on its forehead coming flying into the ground head first unconscious. They soon heard other of the strange Youkai fleeing back towards them. But instead of trying to attack them, they seemed in more of hurry to get away from them.

"Hey what are you running from!" demanded Inuyasha as the Youkai that had crashed into the ground in front of them woke up.

"We're running, for our lives! You had best do the same! A dragon is coming!" said the Youkai as it started running.

They watched it run with the others who then started to run back towards them. That's when they saw it, a gigantic black fiery dragon roaring through the sky and towards the Youkai that had decided to try running the other way to escape it.

"Inuyasha!" said Kagome as they all noticed him running away from it, but to the sides instead. They decided to follow suit and attempt to stay out of its way and attention.

The dragon roared past them and crashed down upon Youkai and they could hear their screams of agony. Eventually the screams subsided and all that was left were their charred corpses. The dragon then flew up the cliff face and right at a man who stood there. Kagome wanted to scream for him to watch out, but couldn't. They all watched as the man held out his right arm and the dragon seemed to attach itself to the arm. Kagome climbed onto Inuyasha's back and Miroku and Sango onto Kirara's back and they climbed and flew up the cliff to where the man had stood not a minute ago.

When they arrived at the top they saw thousands more blackened corpses of Youkai. They all seemed to have been victims of the black fiery dragon. That's when they saw the silhouette of someone holding another be the throat. They rushed down there to find it was a Silver Kitsune holding one of the survivors by the throat and slapping his face hard for information.

"Who do you work for scum!" snapped the Silver Kitsune.

"I work for someone even more powerful than you are Silver Kitsune! I know of you, you were sent by the Reikai to get Naraku, but he works with someone more powerful than you," said the Youkai. "May the Mekai's resurrection bring about your end!"

They watched the Silver Kitsune's face take the expression of shock and then anger and disgust as he killed the Youkai. Turning to them he scowled at not having noticed them earlier and spoken in the Youkai language.

"What did you hear?" said the Silver Kitsune.

"Enough, now how did you get here Suichi?" demanded Kagome angrily.

"Kagome are you crazy? He's a Silver Kitsune, they're ruthless and cunning! They won't hesitate to hurt you!" said Shippo.

"He won't hurt me, right Suichi?" said Kagome.

"You are very perceptive Kagome, indeed I won't hurt you, but I cannot say the same thing for my friend behind you," said Kurama.

"He won't either, not if he doesn't want to be purified!" snapped Kagome.

"Hn," replied Hiei.

"Now how did you two get here! I thought you had assignment form your boss!" said Kagome.

"We do and we are on assignment Kagome, Koenma sent us to kill Naraku and destroy anyway for him to get to our time," said Kurama.

"Naraku's ass is mine," said Inuyasha.

"You had best watch your tongue hanyou! You speak to the Lord of the Southern Lands! Now Kagome you would be wise not to call me Suichi in this time or while I am in this form, you know as well as I that in this form I am Yoko Kurama," said Kurama sternly.

"The Yoko Kurama?" exclaimed Shippo.

"You know of him Shippo?" asked Miroku curiously.

"Yeah, he's an infamous Silver Kitsune that is said to be the greatest thief there ever was," said Shippo. "It's said female Kitsune's would all but throw themselves at him."

"Ha, ha, ha, ha, you know much for a child. Indeed I am Yoko Kurama the Infamous Thief of the Makai. However I believe in this time, I am busy in the Makai making a name for myself. Now as for you Kagome, you are in over your head now," said Kurama as he glared at Kagome.

"And why exactly is that Kurama?" asked Kagome.

"Because the King of the Mekai has returned, again! We all nearly lost our lives to him when he returned the first time, but we were able to defeat him. It is still a mystery to this day on how King Enma was able to defeat him and his armies. We defeated all his henchmen, his strongest warriors, and barely him!" said Kurama angrily.

"You don't scare me Kurama! We're here for Naraku and to find the Kumori Wraiths! Now tell us why we should back off!" said Kagome.

"Because Yakumo will kill you without a second thought," said a voice from behind them startling them.

"Who the hell are you?" demanded Inuyasha angrily threatening him with the Tetsaiga.

"Learn your place dog! I am the Lord of the Northern Lands! I am Roizen, son of Raizen! I fought Yakumo as a human and nearly lost my life! I was able to purify his Power Sphere with my Reiki, with help from Kurama, Hiei, and the traitor. Our spirits and power combined was enough to seriously hurt him, to the verge of death, but then I blasted the sphere and him into oblivion, or so we had originally thought. I have my own reasons fro wanting Naraku dead, he killed my mother to get to me and I will never forgive him for that! However now that Yakumo is involved in this war between Naraku and myself, I will not let them have the power sphere!" said Yusuke angrily.

"I thought you said you destroyed the Power Sphere!" said Kagome.

"I die, but it came back with the power of four spirits, a few hundred years ago. You carry parts of it with you Kagome. The Power Sphere was reborn, but it was not like it was before, now it is more powerful and a lot more dangerous. Midoriko had the right idea when she attempted to defeat such powerful Youkai. The jewel was to be kept with the Taijiya, however when they gave it away, it became corrupted and Yakumo was able to slowly gain strength and power," said Yusuke sorrowfully.

"Exactly why should we believe you? You are a hanyou and a Youkai Lord," said Mirkou cautiously.

"I don't expect you to believe or trust me. But Kagome there is a descendant of Midoriko herself. How else do you think she is so powerful? I am descendant of one of the most powerful Youkai races in existence, I am a Toushin," said Yusuke angrily.

"I'm a descendant of Midoriko?" asked Kagome confused.

"Yes, that is why you have such a strong spirit and have you ever noticed how you resembled Midoriko more than you do Kikyo?" asked Yusuke curiously.

"I thought it was strange that I resembled her, but I didn't think anything of it. But that would mean that my family are also descendant of Midoriko," said Kagome.

"Yes, from your fathers side of the family. The purifying power lay dormant throughout your bloodline, until a girl was born from your bloodline, you Kagome. According to what we have been briefed on about you, on your fathers side of the family were all males, no females. Now follow us back to our campsite," said Yusuke as he turned and started walking away.

"Why should I follow you? Don't you remember what I told you Urameshi!" snapped Kagome angrily and without thinking.

That caused Yusuke to stop in his tracks and turn to her. "I remember Kagome, you hate me, you never wanted to see me again, well guess what Kagome? You can't always get what you want! You hurt me! You hurt me so bad that it had brought memories of a time I thought I was over, when I was betrayed by the two people closet to me! If you hate me so bad then purify my damn ass into nothing, destroy my soul! If you aren't then shut the hell up and lets get going! You wanted the Kumori Wraiths? Well here we are!" snapped Yusuke, clearly angrier than he had been in a long time.

Turning around again he started walking away again and she noticed that Kurama and Hiei looked at her angrily and with clear disgust.

"Kurama, please what did I do that hurt him so bad?" asked Kagome a bit confused.

"It's not entirely what you did to him Kagome. It's what is former fiancée did to him. He had given her a precious and extremely rare gem as his token for his love to her. He was true to his words, he never strayed even when there were clearly prettier women than his ex-fiancée. However she did stray and had been doing so for a while, one night when he returned home to where they stayed he caught her in bed with his best friend. We call him the traitor these days and want nothing to do with him. Yusuke was so angry than he took the gem he had given her, which she threw in his face by her disloyalty to him, and he crushed it with his bare hands. He had nearly killed them both where they lay, but he showed them mercy and let them leave. But not before he told Keiko, his ex-fiancée, what she had lost and what she had done. When they ran into each other now and then they were civil with each other, but it was clear that Yusuke was heart broken and it was at this same time that he found out his other was dying.

"Can you imagine the pain he had to be going through then? His heart was still very frail and fragile, but he pushed on for his mother's sake, and then he got over his loss. But when his mother was killed, he had nearly lost it all again. It was during this time that he was working for your family that he fell in love again. He tried to be civil with her, even courteous to try and impress her, but she kept treating him like dirt," explained Kurama. "Then one day when he and his friends had been exposed for what we were, he had nearly lost it. It was the same day that you interrogated us and Inuyasha. It was that very day, that his heart was broken again and he very nearly lost control of his emotions and his self control from killing somebody or something, or even destroying something. It was then that out employer had given us this case and exposed Yusuke to a new depth of respect for him, offering his hand in not only as his boss, but also in friendship. Since then we have been here in the Feudal Era and he has been struggling to keep it together."

"That's sad, but what does any of this really have to do with me?" asked Kagome.

"Are you truly that naïve? Think about Kagome, who treated him like dirt and tried to be kind to her? Who said those cruel words to him that broker his heart yet again?" said Kurama. "When you can answer this question you will truly understand. Who hurt him the most, aside from Naraku? Here is a hint, it is not a physical or mental wound, but a wound of the heart itself."

Kagome was at loss for words, she never knew her cousin had such wisdom. She really didn't understand, but she knew that the story itself and each of the questions held hints at the answer and the hint itself was the key to it all.

'Who did treat him like dirt at my place? Grandpa, Souta, and mother didn't, but I did, not even Aunt Shiori was that mean to him. He did try and be kind to me, but…' though Kagome as she thought back to that day.

Flashback

(A/N: The following flashback will have Kagome's thoughts about everything in apostrophes by her point of view. Everything else just treat like a normal flashback.)

'It was just after the fight with Inuyasha, that Yusuke reminded me of my question for Inuyasha, before he had been dumb enough to insult Yusuke's family.'

"Now Kagome I believe you had a question for the mutt," said Yusuke as Kagome nodded and walked right over to Inuyasha angrily.

"What did you do Inuyasha!" said Kagome sternly.

"I uh… that is uh…"

Inuyasha didn't have to finish or answer completely, the faint blush on his face and his stammering was all Kagome needed, to now the answer. With tears in her eyes she ran up the stairs straight to her room, where she began to cry. She had loved Inuyasha and he had betrayed her in the worst way possible. He had done the unthinkable.

'Inuyasha couldn't answer the question, but the faint blush on his face and his stuttering made me suspicious. It was when he couldn't even look me in the face and tell me, that confirmed my worst thoughts and fears. He had mated with Kikyo and had claimed her as his, meaning when he had the Jewel he would do everything within his power to bring her back for good, in a flesh and bone body, not one of clay and dirt. That's when I heard Yusuke yell at Inuyasha and Inuyasha counter. I just couldn't face the truth about what Inuyasha had done, he had broken my heart numerous times, but I didn't know why this sudden revelation surprised me.'

"Alright mutt, what the hell did you do!" said Yusuke extremely angry.

Inuyasha remained silent and looked at the ground guiltily, but then turned to Yusuke and spit in his face and slashed him across the face with his claws. "It's none of your damn business, you hanyou wannabe!" snapped Inuyasha who immediately regretted what he said without thinking.

However Yusuke pretended not to hear or he just ignored it… for now. He turned to the others with a deep frown upon his face and nodded to Hiei. "I'm going to go talk to her," said Yusuke as he made his way upstairs.

Finding her bedroom was simple enough, knocking on the door, he heard her tell him to go away. But he couldn't, he wouldn't, not when she was like this.

"Kagome," started Yusuke, but was cut off.

'That's when Yusuke had come to see if I was alright, but I was in such pain at having my heart broken yet again, that I had failed to hear the sorrow and concern in his voice. He was worried about me!'

"Don't! Don't say your sorry, just don't say that!" said Kagome as she tried to hold back the tears.

"I won't say it, even though I am, Kagome what did he do to you?" asked Yusuke, his voice filled with concern, but it went unnoticed to Kagome.

"It's not any of your damn business Urameshi!" snapped Kagome bitterly. "GET OUT! I HATE YOU! I HATE ALL OF YOU! NOW GET OUT! GET OUT! I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN! ANY OF YOU! NOW GET OUT!"

'That's when my anger for Inuyasha had just erupted, I just snapped and didn't really know what I was saying, it wasn't until afterwards when he spoke and left that I realized what I had done to him. I felt so guilty, I still do, about what I said to him that hurt him so bad that it was right in front of me on his face, plain as day, what I did to him. Now that I think back at what I did, I feel even guiltier, sad, and angry at myself for saying such hurtful and hateful things to one who just trying to help me. Mother would be ashamed of me if she ever found out, perhaps she already knew, when I told her Yusuke's message. She hadn't spoken with me for days, now that I think about it, she probably knew before either us did, about how we felt towards one another. I guess one good thing came out of my heart breaks with Inuyasha. I found one who would never cheat on me, who would give his very soul for me, but I had been blind. He had gone through the same thing I had, but it was worse for him. He had given the one who hurt him something so precious that it hurt him not only physically, emotionally, and mentally, but it had hurt him to the very core of his being. Yusuke knew more about heart aches and having your heart broken than I did, but he had pushed forward for the others in his life.'

Yusuke was taken back and he felt a deep pain his chest. The same pain he felt when Keiko had betrayed him. But he had been willing to forgive her and eventually the pain went away, until he betrayed him again and that time left him. So he fell into a deep depression, but came out of it, when he learned his mother was sick and slowly dieing.

"Alright, I'll go, you'll never have to see me again. If you would please inform your mother. I'm resigning from my job here and won't be back to collect my final pay check," said Yusuke as he left heartbroken. "Hiei, come on, let's let Kurama or Kagome deal with this scum, he's not worth wasting anymore energy on."

'If I could go back and change that, I would. I can't stand to see him in such pain, maybe this isn't just my mind and feelings tell me this, but perhaps my heart was hinting at the truth about my feelings. I don't love Inuyasha anymore, but that I'm in love with Yusuke… these feelings are something I've never experienced before, my stomach is full of butterfly's, it feels like my heart has had a great burden taken off it, but not completely, not until I can forgive myself, and hope Yusuke can forgive me.'

End Flashback

Kagome ran to catch up with the others and she noticed her friends wouldn't even look at her. Not even Shippo could look at her, even Inuyasha who had been a main apart of the problem wouldn't look at her. Kagome decided to go talk with Yusuke about what happened at her home and see if she could be forgiven for what she said.

"Kagome," said Yusuke acknowledging her presence as she started walking beside her.

"Um… Yusuke, listen about what I said…"

Yusuke just kept his frown like scowl on and kept walking seemingly ignoring her.

"Listen, I'm sorry for the way I treated you before, you didn't deserve it. Especially since you were just trying to help me. I hope you can forgive me for what I said to you, I realize now, that what I said was stupid and cruel and that you never deserved it. I just want you to know I'm sorry for all the times I treated you like you were nothing more than dirt," said Kagome.

Yusuke just kept walking and seemingly ignoring her, which made Kagome think he wouldn't forgive her. It hurt to know that she had possibly hurt him that bad, to the point where he couldn't and/or wouldn't forgive her.

By the time they reached their campsite they were all impressed at how simple it seemed, yet they could tell it was made to be fortified, yet weak. They could tell that they wanted no visitors with the wards that were put up everywhere around the camp. Tree's, boulders, the walls, even the ground itself held a ward on it. They wanted absolute privacy and protection and it seemed they would have it. Yusuke stopped them with his arm and motioned for Kurama to come forward to the front of the group.

"Signal her, that it's us," said Yusuke plainly. "With visitors."

_"BOTAN!"_ yelled Kurama. _"VISITORS!"_

Everyone was confused at what he said, even those who understood what he said. That was until they saw a girl with turquoise hair come flying out on her oar.

"Oh, it's them! I'll lower the gate, so you can avoid the wards," said Botan.

In three minutes time the gate was lowered and Yusuke, Kurama, and Hiei were running across the gate rather quickly. When Kagome and the others stepped on it and were going slowly they could feel the effects of the wards, so they sped it up.

"What type of wards are those? They even affect humans!" said Miroku curiously.

"They are Reikai wards, they are used to keep out unwanted visitors that aren't either Reikan or have the Reikai seal tattooed on their arm. It's rather useful in keeping out unwanted quests," said Botan cheerfully as Miroku looked at her with awe and surprise.

His normal routine would be to ask if she would bare his child, but something inside of him told him that would be a very big mistake. So he kept his mouth closed and just looked around his surroundings.

-

Sango had seen the way he had looked at Botan and expected him to ask his usual question, but was surprised to see he kept his mouth shut instead of asking the question. Perhaps Miroku was learning that you don't ask that of every woman you meet or come across. But when she looked at Hiei, she noticed that he had bandages on his entire right arm, along with a white head band across his forehead, which made her suspicious of him for a possible spy.

_I am no spy,_ said Hiei telepathically.

Sango was startled and looked around trying to see who had just spoken to her. When she looked at Hiei, she saw him smirk and then disappear into thin air. Looking around she saw him at a nearby window ledge that looked out across the plains, polishing and sharpening his katana.

-

Kagome herself had been waiting to speak with Yusuke in private, but he was briefing Botan about their mission.

"We arrived to late to forge a treaty. But it wouldn't have worked anyway, they were Mekai Youkai. Yakumo has apparently joined up with Naraku, how he survived I have no idea," said Yusuke with obvious fear in his voice.

When he finished with Botan he moved to the back of the campsite and went into an area that had been blocked off with not only Reikai Wards, but two stone pillars and a large blanket between the two. That was either the area where they went to the bathroom or it was the area they bathed in. Her second guess had been right when she heard the swishing of water. Turning to Botan she saw that she obviously knew about what she had said to Yusuke and wouldn't even look at her. She decided to just go to a corner somewhere and hope that everyone would just ignore her enough to let and Youkai that got passed the wards to just kill her and end her misery.

­-

Yusuke was relaxing in the waters of the hot springs, trying to figure out why Yakumo had suddenly reappeared after so long. Why not reappear when he was at his weakest and easily defeat him? That was what really made him wonder if Yakumo was still weakened from their last battle. If that was the case, then he would surely have to be extremely careful and bide his time. His thought started to drift to off to what Kagome had told him earlier. He still loved her, even if he was quite angry with her and had given her the silent treatment and the cold shoulder. He had been kind enough to acknowledge her presence next to him, but now that he thought about, he knew she had to be hurting inside. Whatever Kurama had said to her, made her realize the way she had acted. He didn't want to loose her, he needed her, she was what made him complete. He could feel it in his bones, in his very being, in every fiber of himself he knew he couldn't stand to be with out her.

-

Kurama watched his cousin carefully, knowing full well what she was feeling. He had felt it before, as had Yusuke, but that didn't mean he wasn't worried that she might do something stupid, thinking that she had lost Yusuke and all her friends, because of a stupid mistake. No he would watch her carefully and to be sure of this, he had planted sentries all along the camp walls and even inside where he could monitor everything if something did get in. He had also planted many traps along the walls as well and in the forest and meadow. Kagome and the others had to be given the Reikai seal temporarily, so for now they would be able to move around much easier. He noticed Yusuke come out from the springs and motioned for him to get Kagome and follow him.

"Kagome," said Kurama softly to her.

"Yes?" asked Kagome as she lifted her head and he saw her face stained with tears.

"Please follow me," said Kurama as Kagome followed him.

They arrived at where Yusuke stood overlooking the vast plains and forests, along with the mountains. He seemed to be very comfortable in this place.

"Ironic is it not Kurama? This is the exact same place that Genkai's Shrine will be built at," said Yusuke chuckling. "I came here on my mission after I met you and beat Hiei. I became Genkai's apprentice and nearly died here from the fight with Rando."

"Indeed, the area you fought him is just on the west side of the campsite about three miles. Genkai's actual shrine will be built in around the same area our campsite is at and will be very large and secluded, just as Genkai likes it. I never would have been able to fathom that we would help build her shrine. A shrine that would train Miko's in years to come, where Genkai's ancestors would be in charge and own these lands," said Kurama chuckling as well.

"Kagome you probably want to know why you're here listening to us. This is the very same place that I trained for many months to become stronger so that I could protect my family and loved ones. This very place is where I was able to learn to focus my reiki and learn new techniques. It was also this very spot that we began our mission to save the Ningenkai, we knew we might not come back alive. This is the area where we left to fight Yakumo, King of the Mekai," said Yusuke slowly. "I have to know, are you willing to risk your life to stop Naraku? Are you willing to risk never being able to grow old and have children and grandchildren? If you aren't then hand over the jewel fragments and go home. If your not willing to risk loosing everything, then you shouldn't be here. Your friends all have a reason to fight Naraku and are willing to throw their lives away if it meant defeating Naraku. The monk with his cursed hand, the Taijiya to save her brother and avenge her family and comrades. The hanyou for being tricked over fifty years ago. The Kitsune pup because he feels it just to rid the world of Naraku's evil and have a happy life. The Neko has the same reasons as the Taijiya. What is your reason for fighting Naraku, Kagome?"

Kagome was speechless, she never truly realized that those reasons for Naraku could go so far as to ultimately loose. They would be justified, they would be willing to sacrifice everything to defeat Naraku, even if it meant they had to give their very lives if it meant Naraku's demise.

"I'm the Guardian of the Jewel, it is my sacred duty to repair and purify the jewel of all corruption. I shattered it and I have to rectify my mistake, if Naraku seeks to corrupt the jewel, then it is my sacred duty to stop him at all costs. I am a Miko, I am the direct descendant of Midoriko herself, I am the Guardian of the Jewel; it is my sacred duty to give my life, if necessary to protect this world and all other worlds from Naraku's corruption and to purify the Jewel," said Kagome as Yusuke smiled at her.

"Kurama go, please," said Yusuke as Kurama nodded and left, but stopped part way.

"Kagome, I am proud of you, I love you, you are my cousin, and are worthy to carry out your task," said Kurama gently.

"Thank you," said Kagome as Kurama left.

"Kagome," said Yusuke seriously.

"Yes?" asked Kagome scared at what Yusuke might say as he turned to look at her.

"I heard what you told me and I realize you are truly sorry for you did to me, however I am also in need to apologize to you for the way I treated you earlier. I hope you can forgive me, for I have already forgiven you," said Yusuke gently.

"You have?" asked Kagome as Yusuke nodded slightly.

Kagome was so happy that she jumped into his arms, surprising him and hugged him tightly and then kissing him on the lips. Yusuke was shocked, yes, but he was also happy as he returned the kiss passionately. They were like that for at least five minutes before they had to separate to breath, before they suffocated fro lack of air.

"You're forgiven as well Yusuke," said Kagome as she kissed him again.

Yusuke returned the kiss passionately and kept her close to him. When they broke the kiss, Yusuke looked into her eyes and saw everything she had gone through. All the heart aches, the broken hearts, but always forgiving the one who had caused her heart to be broken in the first place and giving him chance after chance for forgiveness and to break her heart again.

"I love you Kagome," said Yusuke softly as he kissed her forehead and hugged her close to him.

"I love you too Yusuke," replied Kagome as she laid her head against his shoulder.

"If we survive this Kagome, I need to know, will you marry me?" asked Yusuke as he pulled away from her and revealed a jewel that was even rarer than the one he gave Keiko. This was a jewel from the only triple hanyou, one of the Fire Koorime's, the Ice Koorime's and the Toushin. It's color was a deep blue, with a deep red swirling around it, and a deep purple as result of the two, representing the Toushin aspect of it. Yusuke had forged it onto a golden ring made from the purest gold in the Makai.

"YES!" said Kagome excitedly as Yusuke slipped the ring onto her ring finger. The two of them stood there watching the sun fall below the horizon.

(A/N: The Yusuke/Kagome pairing to vote on will still be left in, just to see how many votes I can get from it.)

-

Elsewhere in a dark domain that many Youkai were gathering a shadowy figure watched the Youkai carefully. His army was gathering for a grand war against the hanyou that had nearly killed him on several occasions, but had been enough of a novice in battle to let his guard down numerous times. The only thing that concerned him was the fact of the Youkai whose power dwarfed his own, the Youkai that could keep himself from being absorbed into his body. The two had struck a deal, that he would get his wish from the jewel, to become a full fledged Youkai. However afterwards he would have to swear an oath of eternal loyalty. By that time however, he intended on having absorbed the unique hanyou, fire Koorime, the Silver Kitsune, Inuyasha, and Sesshomaru, along with his incarnations. When this was done he would absorb the Youkai that he held alliance with and become unstoppable. With that thought he began to chuckle at his fortune.

-

Miroku had been in deep meditation contemplating what he was feeling. He thought he had been in love with Sango, but something kept telling him that she was more like a sister to him. The sister he never had, or any other siblings, it was actually quite sad, his mother had died while giving birth to him and his father had died a few years later from his own Wind Tunnel. Deciding to meditate deeper into his thought and feelings, he saw things that horrified him, his worst fears. He had already dealt with the fear of Wind Tunnel growing so large that in sucked in him and his friends into it. But now his fears that were greater than that, he would be holding his child or children and then his wind tunnel would grow too large to be contained and his entire family himself included would be sucked into it. He attempted to rid himself of this fear and go deeper to find out what had change his perspective about Sango, but the images would not leave him, he couldn't shake the images. It was as if Naraku himself had planted these fears in him, or he had somehow invaded his mind and was forcing him to relive that fear over and over again. Suddenly he awoke and sat up with a yell and was breathing heavily.

"Miroku, are you alright!" asked Sango.

"I'm fine. It was just a nightmare…"

"What was it about?" asked Sango.

"I had a family… children, a wife, but while I was holding one of my children, my Wind Tunnel had grown too large to be concealed or contained. My entire family was slowly sucked into its void and then myself, I could hear Naraku's evil laughter. I tried to move past the images to acknowledge this was one of my worst fears, but it was as if Naraku had invaded my mind and wouldn't let me move past these images. I kept reliving them over and over, it was horrifying, I felt so guilty," explained Miroku.

"It sounds like, side effects of the Nightmare Plant," said Kurama walking in. "Forgive me, but I could not help but overhear."

Miroku nodded and Sango asked, "What is this Nightmare Plant?"

"It is a plant that forces you to live your worst nightmares inside your own mind as long as you are in its clutches. Many have never escaped without going mad. Those who have suffer for a long time its effects. However sometimes a person can overcome these effects with training and/or ridding themselves of what drives the fear. Once Naraku is dead and his body and soul obliterated, then your curse shall be lifted and these fears will subside in time. But seeing as how you say it was as if Naraku himself was forcing you to relive these fears over and over. Then it may be that Naraku has absorbed a Kitsune with power of the plants," said Kurama.

"Then he absorbed a Silver?" asked Shippo appearing from the adjacent corridor.

"Perhaps, or perhaps a Red or Green Kitsune, one of the only other two Kitsune types with power of the plants. Green Kitsune are the second strongest Kitsune with power over the plants, only the Silver are more attuned with nature, thus better control and power over plants. The Red Kitsune's have triple abilities, the power to control and manipulate fire, the power to control and manipulate plants to a certain degree, and the power of illusions. Remember only the Black Kitsune is above you, where the power of illusions is concerned. Kitsune's are known as clever creatures, but we are also powerful, kind, and ruthless when need be," said Kurama as Shippo nodded.

They left with Sango in tow to give Miroku some time alone. However a certain turquoise haired girl had overheard the conversation. She had also overheard Miroku's mumblings while he was meditating, which had led him to a deep sleep. She had been embarrassed when he mentioned her name in his sleep. She knew how she felt about him, ever since she started to read about him in history at the Reikai palace, she had felt a deep connection to him. Though she knew he was dead, she couldn't help but fall for him, without really knowing him. His file said he was a bit of a pervert, groping women's butts and asking them to bare his child. It also mentioned a part about how he seemingly had an eye for the female Taijiya that had been traveling with him and the others in the group. To her utter surprise she was jealous and furious with the female Taijiya for catching the eye of the one she loved. That was when it hit her how desperate she was for someone to love, even if it was a man who had been dead for five hundred years. But here she was in the past and watching him, like a love sick school girl.

-

Sango didn't know if the others had seen her, but she saw Botan, the girl who was even stranger than Kagome at times. Nothing was said about her, except that she wasn't a Youkai and she was part of the Kumori Wraiths. She felt a deep fire within her at seeing the girl watch Miroku so closely. It was like she knew almost everything about him, but of course she might, she was from Kagome's time. But even if she was jealous of her, why did she feel like there was someone always watching her, even in her sleep. It was strange and annoying, yet comforting in a way. Her thoughts were usually very focused on what was at hand, mainly if they could trust these Kumori Wraiths. Their leader had all but demanded the Jewel Shards, that they had, but they had refused to give them to him at all. She was actually quite shocked to know that these Kumori Wraiths were extremely powerful, enough so that they could destroy more Youkai with a single attack, then Inuyasha's Wind Scar. However her thoughts were in turmoil at the moment, between three things, the task at hand about the Kumori Wraiths, her jealousy with the girl watching Miroku, and her own shocking feelings towards the one who wore all black and was apparently the controller of the fiery black dragon from earlier.

-

Hiei smirked as he ran through the shadows in the camp. There was a reason his name meant flying shadow. He was quite fast, flexible, and had quite a bit of agility. He was also a master swordsman, the wielder of the Dragon of the Darkness Flame, and wielder of the Jagan Eye. He was a Fire Koorime, the Forbidden Child, but he had learned that it was just a title given to those who were male Koorime of another type, other than there own type. He was a formidable opponent in battle and had proven it time and time again. However as his power grew, his thirst to find a mate did as well. He didn't know why he needed a mate, except that his offspring would be powerful Youkai. He was a Youkai hanyou after all, but still a Youkai. There was something that had always nagged at him, in the back of his mind. Something that told him held knowledge forbidden to those outside of the female Ice Koorime clans. He was determined to discover what it was, but when he had arrived in this era his instincts told him that a very strong and powerful potential mate was near, a strong willed, defiant, compassionate, powerful, ruthless, yet sad female, like him. He saw it all in the female Taijiya that made his instincts battle for control over his rationality to just claim her as his. He had felt jealousy and a strong sense to harm the monk, for she had her eye on him, but now she was confused about what she felt. After probing the monk's mental defenses and easily slipping past them, he saw that he was just as confused as the female Taijiya. The monk's instincts told him, that she was like a sister to him, the sibling he never had and never would have, at least by blood.

-

Yusuke and Kagome had stood watching the sun set in each others arms. Both felt whole, complete, like they never had in their entire lives. It was strange, yet it was comforting to know that they finally had forgiven each other and had found love in one another. But they knew their love for each other would be put to the test in the coming battle. A battle that threatened to not only rewrite history completely, but also risk neither of them ever being born, completely destroying history. It would change to a version that was darker and worse than they could ever imagine if they failed. So they decided to enlist help, it was time to bring in as many allies as they could. After the sun had set they returned to the camp and for the first time Kagome got a good look at what was the camp. It was a shrine like fortress, wards almost everywhere emanating a sense of enclosure, yet it also emanated a sense of peace and serenity. Once inside Yusuke had Kagome cover her hears while he yelled for the others to get to the center most area of the campsite.

"What is it Yusuke?" asked Kurama.

"Wait for the others," said Yusuke as Hiei appeared, followed by Botan and Miroku, then Shippo, Sango, and finally Inuyasha. "If we're going to get rid of Naraku, then we're going to need a lot more help. Inuyasha this is not questionable, you're strong, but you'll surely die when Yakumo steps into the fight. You think you've done pretty well in the past? Well Yakumo is much stronger than Naraku is and, hopefully, ever will be."

"So what will you have us do Yusuke?" asked Botan.

"Botan, you, Miroku, and Kurama find Koenma in this era. Tell them it is matter of life and death and that Yakumo has returned, if that doesn't get his attention then hold him to his oath to protect the humans. Hiei, Sango, you two gather as many allies as you can from the North, tell them a Toushin fights at the risk of death. Tell them Roizen of the Toushin fights for honor and for the great Lords of the Northern and Western Lands, Raizen and Sesshomaru, if you have to. Inuyasha you get whoever you want to help you in this battle. Shippo your with me and Kagome, we're going to go see a few wolves and Sesshomaru himself," said Yusuke smirking as Shippo jumped into Kagome arms. "Any questions?"

-

A/N: Well that's it for chapter four, sorry it took so long. I've had bit of a rough weekend and I still haven't got my computer to work right. So for all whom wanting to read chapter five, when it's finished, it will be a while. Anyway here is the new pairings poll, note though that only the Kurama/Yukina pairing will still be left in.

Yusuke/Kagome: 10, Inuyasha/Kagome: 4, Hiei/Sango: 6

Miroku/Botan: 4, Inuyasha/Kikyo: 4, Kurama/Yukina: 1

Should Hiei and Sango be successful in their mission? Yes or No, explain

Should Kurama, Botan, and Miroku be successful in their mission? Yes or No, explain

Should Yusuke, Kagome, and Shippo be successful in their mission? Yes or No, explain

Who should Inuyasha recruit, if anybody? You choose

Now for the one who gave me the advice not to do this in every chapter, I've been going by what has been requested for the most part. Now for all of you had voted differently than what I am leaving you to vote on, I apologize and hope you will continue to read on. I am currently in the market for co-authors and staff for my C2 Community and I am also planning on making another YYH/IY crossover fic. I have gone by the votes for the most part with this story and again apologize to all who did not get the pairing they were hoping for. Now I've forgotten what else I was going to say, so I hope you like what I have so far and that you keep reviewing.

Shadow Kage

* * *


	5. Recruitment

A/N: I'd like to thank everybody who reviewed Chapter Four. Crazy Hyper Lady your going to have to e-mail me that address for the story, it didn't show up in your review. From what I've gathered from my recent reviews, the pairings results are still the same:

Yusuke/Kagome: 10, Inuyasha/Kagome: 4, Hiei/Sango: 6

Miroku/Botan: 4, Inuyasha/Kikyo: 4, Kurama/Yukina: 1

Now as not ramble on and on here is Chapter Five!

Chapter Five: Recruitment

Somewhere in the Northern Lands

Hiei and Sango had been traveling with Kirara for three days time now. The Northern Lands were strangely not active, at least not as active as the Western Lands. It was the Western and Eastern Lands that separated the Northern and Southern Lands from either ganging up on the Eastern or Western Lands. But since the Western and Eastern Lands were not known to cooperate with one another it was common knowledge that they would be dangerous lands to cross. It was when they reached a village did they find that the villagers were in cooperation with the local Youkai. There were many hanyou about playing with other Youkai and human children like they didn't have a care in the world.

"Who goes there!" said a Youkai.

"We come in peace," said Sango.

"State your business in the Northern Lands Taijiya. Your kind is not liked here," said the Youkai sweeping its gaze across the three of them, noticing Hiei glaring defiantly.

"We're just here to see the Lord of the Northern Lands as per our Lords orders," said Hiei as Sango glared at him.

"The law here states that nobody is allowed to see the Lord of the Northern Lands without proper cause," said the Youkai.

"Then our work here is done," said Hiei turning to leave.

"Wait, just out of curiosity why do you wish to speak with the Lord of the Northern Lands?" asked the Youkai.

"It's none of your business, now we'll be leaving now," said Hiei as he started walking away, infuriating the Youkai enough to attack him.

Hiei reacted almost instantly having his katana drawn and holding it against the Youkai's neck in a position that it would kill the Youkai at the slightest move towards him or away from him.

"Never attack your opponent like that or next time you may just loose your head," said Hiei sheathing his katana as the Youkai blinked several times.

"Fine, I'll send word that you wish to speak with the Lord of the Northern Lands. However he may not be in a mood to deal with the likes of you," said the Youkai. "Now which land do you hail from?"

"The Taijiya is from the Western Lands," said Hiei. "Where I am from is not of your concern or do you wish to test my patience?"

The Youkai decided that it would be better not to deal with them, if it meant angering either one of them to the point of them snapping and causing chaos. He led them into the village where everyone watched them closely, studying them, trying to contemplate why they were there. They stopped at an inn and the Youkai told the inn keeper to give them a room to stay in while they waited for a message from the palace.

"Upstairs at the end of the hallway on the left," said the inn keeper.

-

Inuyasha was speeding off through the woods to find Kikyo and see how she was. He knew he wasn't supposed to but in a battle with Sesshomaru he caused him to draw Tensaiga while he had knocked Tokijin into the woods accidentally killing a few villagers in the process. Among them was Kikyo who merely lay on the ground pretending to be dead, covered by the other bodies. When Sesshomaru used Tensaiga in another curious experiment to see if they would be healed even after the damage Tokijin had done, he retrieved Tokijin and left, leaving him and a living breathing Kikyo with her own soul now. Somehow in the process of the healing Kagome's soul had been released from Kikyo's body. Instead of a clay body of a human with Youkai abilities, along with Miko abilities, she was flesh and blood with Youkai and Miko abilities. He made sure to keep this a secret, especially since afterwards he mated with her, claiming her as his. He could sense the child that was growing in Kikyo and that was one year, eleven months ago, nearly two years. For some reason everyone thought the Kikyo was either dead, since Kagome had her entire soul back but didn't know it yet, or she had gone to a further away part of the Western Lands, or even to the Southern, Eastern, or Northern Lands, away from Naraku.

'Damn, I've got to hurry!' thought Inuyasha as he sped his way towards a cave where he and Kikyo had decided she would wait for him for two years.

When he arrived he saw Kikyo and his children all who looked like they were at least six or seven years old, instead of the one and two year olds they were.

"Kikyo?" called out Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha, in here!" called Kikyo.

Inuyasha entered to see Kikyo beast feeding one of his many sons and daughters. It was amazing that his first children had been triplets and then a set of twins. He smiled as he saw how Kikyo was, for the first time in a long time, smiling a true smile.

"Is something troubling you Inuyasha?" asked Kikyo.

"She found out and I feel guilty for deceiving her like that, she's like a sister to me," said Inuyasha as Kikyo came over to him and touched his sore arm (left arm), causing him to flinch involuntarily.

"You're hurt, that happened?" asked Kikyo.

"When I went to Kagome's time to get her after the time she said she would be gone was up, I found her with another Youkai. I thought she was being held hostage, so I went to try and save her, but my Youkai instincts had taken control again and I nearly killed her. But then everything went black, I awoke with an extremely painful headache. When I awoke I was staring at three Youkai and Kagome, one of them was a hanyou like me, but he bore my respect. You could see it the other's eyes, this hanyou commanded respect without having to say a thing or carry himself like any other Youkai. It was as if he was the boogey man for Youkai," explained Inuyasha.

"I take it he was the one that knocked you out and you awoke grouchy and angry," said Kikyo softly.

"Yeah, well least to say, this was not any ordinary hanyou, he was a Toushin," said Inuyasha causing Kikyo to pale and gasp. "No kidding, but it doesn't end there, he's the son of the current day Lord of the Northern Lands. But since his father was dead and he had won a tournament deciding who was to become the next Lord of the Northern Lands, he claimed that title, but lived among humans."

"So? You did for a time as well," said Kikyo.

"Maybe, but he was born human and died two times, both times returning to life stronger than ever. He said his Youkai name was Roizen, Lord of the Northern Lands in the Makai, or the Youkai World. During that time it seems Youkai have their own world away from humans. His job after his first resurrection was to get rid of Youkai who posed a threat to the Ningenkai as he put it. He fought many Youkai and even in the infamous Dark Tournament! Which happens, currently, only every five years and he won as a human," said Inuyasha surprising Kikyo.

"It sounds like he is the human equivalent of a Toushin alright. But if he is the son of Youkai, then how was he human?" asked Kikyo.

"His Youkai blood was dormant when he first died and after his resurrection. From what I can gather, his father had to awaken it by possessing him and in the middle of a battle against someone who possessed Reiki. But he also possessed the Sei Kou Ki, which according to what I heard made this human called Sensui incredibly strong at five years old. Stronger than you and every other Miko alive combined from what I can gather. But he went insane when he came across humans killing Youkai without reason. So he created six other personalities to keep his original self pure and he decided to punish humanity by unleashing the Youkai back into the Ningenkai to kill everyone. It was around this time that the Roizen as he's called now was killed for a second time. He was resurrected as a hanyou, but was also possessed by his father to fully awaken his senses. He has more control of himself than I do and I was born this way," said Inuyasha.

"Maybe, but he has had more practice and reasons to control himself. He probably under went training to control himself better. Plus the fact remains Inuyasha he's from another time period than you are," said Kikyo kissing Inuyasha who returned it fully.

"Kikyo, there's more, surely you've heard the rumors of Youkai going around uniting humans and Youkai together in alliances and peace," said Inuyasha curiously.

"The Kumori Wraiths," replied Kikyo.

"Yeah, well they came back to this time and are using that name. He was also the one who broke my left arm in several places at pressure points no less," said Inuyasha. "He's here for Naraku."

"Naraku is ours! He ruined our love fifty years ago and for that he will pay!" said Kikyo angrily. "No one else, aside from Kagome, the Taijiya, the monk, the Kitsune kit, and the Neko deserve to kill him more!"

"Kikyo, Naraku made his way to his time and killed his ill mother in his own home. His father is dead and Naraku killed his only family left, his mother. He has just as much right to kill Naraku as we do," said Inuyasha. "I lost my mother when I was young, so I can't imagine the pain he's going through. His mother was ill and he was taking care of her at his own expense. Then along comes Naraku and kills her to get to him."

"It's sad, he has more reason than we do," said Kikyo. "He killed her, while her son was trying to make enough money to help her. Hopefully it was quick and painless."

"Nope, Naraku left her to die suffocating to death with a Miasma filled room and several deeply cut wounds. She died in his arms after telling him something he wouldn't tell us. He was furious and grief stricken at the same time, apparently he had to force himself into his work from going on a rampage," said Inuyasha as Kikyo just sat down and wondered if their vengeance outweighed the one whose mother was so brutally and cruelly murdered by Naraku.

"Is there more?" asked Kikyo her voice low.

"Yeah, apparently Naraku has a new ally, a Youkai Lord by the name of Yakumo," said Inuyasha as Kikyo dropped a plate onto the cavern floor.

"The King of the Nether World," said Kikyo in barely a whisper.

"I guess, though he called him the King of the Mekai," said Inuyasha. "He nearly killed him once as a human, with something called the Power Sphere. His and his teammates were almost as one when they purified the sphere. He later explained to us that the Shikon Jewel is the same sphere, only more powerful and smaller. Kagome is the descendant of the greatest and most powerful Miko to ever exist, Midoriko."

"I see," was all Kikyo could manage.

-

Kurama, Miroku, and Botan had traveled deep into the Western Lands Catacombs. In these exact catacombs Enma was to launch his crusade against the Youkai, forcing them into the Makai and sealing them out of the Ningenkai. However the Youkai had or rather would eventually find their way into the Reikai and start populating there. Enma then continued his crusade to attempt to force the Youkai out of the Reikai, but this time they would not stand it and fought back under leadership of all four Youkai Lords. They came to an agreement in the end that only low class Youkai could live in the Reikai without Enma's permission. The rest would live in the Makai, but a select few had become crafty enough to evade Enma's crusade against them and remained in the Ningenkai. Kurama and Botan both marveled at the structure of the catacombs. This was where Enma would force countless Youkai into the Makai against their will. It was believed that the humans had sided with Enma, when in fact it was Enma who sought to get rid of the Youkai to conquer the humans and rule over them.

"You know Botan according to Enma's history books he decided that all who had Youkai blood in their veins were just as bad as a full fledged Youkai. That was part of what sparked the genocidal hatred the Youkai in our time have against the humans. History has already been changed with Yakumo's coming here and Enma bringing Naraku to or time. Would it really hurt to leave something behind that explained that it was Enma who had attempted to conquer the humans, but they would not have it? The humans and the Youkai have much in common, along with the Reikan's. Each one of them just want to live in peace, it was Enma who declared himself king, being the strongest at the time," said Kurama as Botan nodded.

"So this Enma is the cause and is also the reason why Youkai will hate humans more than they already do?" asked Miroku.

"Yes, sadly, however Enma was fearful. Any who showed sign of Youkai blood in the Ningenkai were slain. He even had his own kind slain if they came from a family that wasn't loyal to him for what he did. Of course that meant a good portion of the Reikan's were to be slain, but Enma merely had three fourths of them imprisoned and the other fourth slain in the justification that they were rebels aiding the Youkai. Enma himself carried out many of these slaying, though he never began feeling guilty about killing his own people. Legend has it that Koenma stood up to Enma in this time after the crusade about how they shouldn't slay their own people or have forced the Youkai out of the Ningenkai. Koenma had then been fitted with punishment so humiliating that he decided to secretly gather information about his father's resources and networks," said Kurama.

"Yes I remember now, it was some four hundred and eighty-five years from now that Koenma told me about his punishment. We were all required to know about him by Enma's law. His punishment was the toddler form you see him in. Another part of it was that he could only remain in his teenage form for certain periods of time and that he would never grow to be the abnormal size of his father. Koenma himself says that is a blessing in itself. However the pacifier that Koenma sucks on stores his Reiki as you know, but it was during the crusade he came across it and hid it from his father. A side effect of his punishment though was that he would sometimes act like a toddler, so he would receive punishment like a toddler," said Botan.

"Is it known why this Enma hated the Youkai?" asked Miroku.

"He hated them because they were more unique and because they were able to disguise themselves better. It is said that Enma was enraged when his fiancée turned out to be in love with a Youkai. She had supposedly been tricked by the Youkai, but all who were there then can say that she was truly in love with the Youkai. Nobody liked Enma, but everybody liked Koenma because he was charismatic and he had a heart, unlike his father," said Botan.

"Are you saying my father has no heart?" said a voice.

"Yes! Your father is a foul mouthed evil bastard!" said Botan.

"I couldn't agree with you more," said the voice again.

"Come out Koenma!" said Botan.

"Ah yes, so you do know my name after all," said Koenma (past version).

"Yes, now you know what we think of your father and you. Will you here us out?" asked Botan.

"Perhaps, if you become my wife," said Koenma slyly only to received a smack up side the head by Botan's oar.

"NOW YOU LISTEN HERE PERVERT! I WILL MARRY WHOM I CHOOSE! DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?" said Botan causing Koenma step away after he had gotten back to his feet.

"Okay, it was just a joke," said Koenma rubbing the side of his head. "Now what is that you want to talk to me about?"

"We need your help Koenma and those loyal to you," said Botan. "We're currently getting ready for a battle against a powerful Hanyou by the name of Naraku. He has Shikon Jewel Shards, most of them actually."

"The Shikon Jewel has resurfaced!" said Koenma. "Things are bad, history is already rewriting itself. I'm not as foolish as you think I am, but my answer is no. I won't help you unless you do me a favor."

"What kind of favor?" asked Miroku stepping forward.

"The kind that doesn't involve you human!" snapped Koenma.

"Maybe not, but I will do what it takes to protect my friends and allies," said Miroku defiantly to Koenma.

"You have guts human, I'll give you that, but I will not allow you to interfere with my plans! My father has agreed, sworn by blood and his Reiki, not to go against the Youkai, if I can find a woman who can supply me with plenty of offspring. She is in her prime and is very fertile!" argued Koenma.

"Then if you won't help with Naraku, how about the resurfaced Yakumo?" asked Koenma as Koenma paled.

"HE HAS RETUNRED!" asked Koenma fearfully.

"Yes and he is an ally of Naraku," said Kurama.

"Then my father must know, so he can stop him again and return him to his imprisonment!" said Koenma.

"NO! This Yakumo is not from this time, he is from the future where he was defeated after he returned. Do you wish to totally destroy history as we know it? Yakumo must be killed, once and for all," said Kurama angrily at Koenma's stupidity.

"Who are you to tell me what to do human!" demanded Koenma.

"I am not a true human, I have a human body, yes, but I have the soul of a Silver Kitsune," said Kurama as Koenma paled.

"The prophecies are coming to pass! One who is human, yet his Kitsune shall travel through time. One who is cursed by an unnatural hanyou shall seek aid. One who is a Reikan, but of a different nature shall befriend Youkai and Human alike. The Toushin hanyou shall come to exact revenge upon the unnatural hanyou. The Fire and Ice Koorime hanyou shall journey to the past for answers. The Taijiya Village shall fall, leaving only two alive. The Neko shall accompany the female Taijiya against the unnatural hanyou. The male Taijiya shall serve the unnatural hanyou. The descendant of the Great Miko shall travel back and forth through time against the unnatural hanyou. The Kitsune kit shall loose its parents and be adopted by the New Great Miko. The one who was banished shall return, but from another time to a new time. The final battle is clouded, mysterious the final out come is. This was prophesied by Venma, my mother, before she died and before I was born. My answer still stands, unless she will be my wife, mate with me, and bare my children," said Koenma earning a good right hook from Miroku to the right side of his face, right next to his eye. "You dare touch me?"

"I dare! Now apologize to Lady Botan or you will face my Wind Tunnel!" said Miroku angrily to Koenma who backed away a few steps.

"You don't have my support, now be gone from these catacombs, a guide will show you the way out! Know this you are not welcome in these catacombs ever again!" said Koenma angrily.

-

Yusuke, Kagome, and Shippo were walking in the general direction that Sesshomaru's palace was supposed to be located at, however they were not sure what they were to tell Sesshomaru to convince him to help them. It was during this time that they had a run in with many Youkai who loyal to Sesshomaru and sought glory by defeating one who supposedly threatened Sesshomaru's rule. They would attack them, but half of them when they saw the blue crescent moon on Kagome's arm, knew she was under Sesshomaru's personal protection and backed off, knowing full well that she was the adopted sister of Sesshomaru.

"You know this is kind of fun," said Yusuke. "One batch of Youkai chooses to ignore the mark, thinking it's a counterfeit, while another batch backs off, just to be sure."

"You think it's funny? Mama could have been killed!" said Shippo without thinking.

"Mama?" questioned Yusuke as Kagome glared at Shippo.

"His birth parents were killed, remember?" said Kagome as Yusuke nodded, remembering Kagome's tale. "So after a while he started calling me mama, so I adopted him. I love him too much to give him up, even for you Yusuke."

"Hey no problem, I like the kid anyway. He gets on the mutt's nerves a lot, next time the mutt hits you, let me know," said Yusuke to Shippo as he grinned.

"Okay, will you do to him what whoever did to his left arm?" asked Shippo.

"Kid, that was me who did that to the mutt," said Yusuke as Shippo jumped on Yusuke's shoulder and soon fell asleep right there. "Poor kid, can't imagine what he went through, especially for someone so young."

"I know, but he seems to have taken a liking to you, Yusuke," said Kagome smiling.

"I know, I've always had a soft spot for kids. That's how I died the first time, saving a kids life. Almost thought it was pointless, since I was told the car would have missed him by turning at the last second," said Yusuke.

"Still, you did a noble thing, you sacrificed your own life for a child who you thought was in great danger," said Kagome.

"Yeah, what would everyone think if they saw me now? The Great Yusuke Urameshi, the one who can call down a thousand bikers in his gang just by whistling," said Yusuke with a laugh. "I can't even whistle!"

Kagome giggled at his last statement and took Shippo and put him in the front basket of her bike. They continued on like this for a few hours more, until it began to get dark. They made camp and began cooking up some ramen for dinner. That was when Yusuke felt it, a Youkai coming towards them at tremendous speed that could rival Hiei, Kurama, and himself. When the Youkai appeared in the clearing he saw Kagome an immediately went over to her.

"Kagome!" said the Youkai.

"Oh, hi, Kouga," said Kagome nervously.

"Oh, Kagome, I see you finally ditched that mutt! I'm so happy that you finally came to your senses and decided to come with me instead!" said Kouga.

"Now, wait just a minute Kouga, Inuyasha was sent off to gather recruits for the upcoming battle against Naraku and his new ally," said Kagome.

"Naraku has a new ally! Who is it!" demanded Kouga gently.

"I don't remember his name, but Yusuke might," said Kagome as Kouga turned to see Yusuke standing there with his fists clenched together, visibly restraining himself form attacking Kouga and his comrades.

"Who are you?" asked Kouga.

"Yusuke Urameshi to the Youkai of my home, or to some the Youkai boogey man," said Yusuke as Kouga started laughing.

"You make Youkai fear you? Your pathetic looking, I could easily beat you!" said Kouga gloating.

"So you could beat a Youkai Lord?" asked Yusuke causing Kouga to shut up instantly.

"Youkai Lord, please forgive me!" said Kouga bowing in respect.

"At least you have more sense than the mutt. Naraku's new ally is Yakumo, King of the Mekai," said Yusuke.

"But how is that possible? Everybody knows that King Enma of the Reikai defeated and banished him five hundred years ago!" said Kouga.

"You know of the four worlds?" asked Yusuke.

"Yes, the Ningenkai, Reikai, Makai, and Mekai, I was one of the few privileged ones to learn this information," said Kouga.

"Very well, this Yakumo is from another time, where he was thought defeated after he had returned stronger than ever before. I beat him in the end, but it took four of us with the purified Power Sphere to weaken him enough to be beat. However somehow he survived ad found his way to this time and made an alliance with Naraku," said Yusuke.

"Then your from the future! That means that in this time your title has no meaning!" said Kouga as he moved to strike Yusuke.

"It does have meaning, I am the Son of the Lord of the Northern Lands! I am Prince Roizen in this time!" said Yusuke.

"So? He doesn't know you exist yet!" said Kouga. "Plus nobody has ever seen the Lord of the Northern Lands!"

"He is a full fledged Toushin Youkai," said Yusuke. "I met him and he trained me personally, along with his most trusted generals."

"And I'm supposed to be sacred why?" asked Kouga.

"I made an enemy of King Enma and personally beat the living hell out of him!" said Yusuke as Kouga paled and backed off. "Now, are you going to do something stupid? I may be a hanyou, but I am still a Toushin!"

"Okay, you win, even I know not to mess with a Toushin. You guys are very skillful with Youki attacks and your limbs," said Kouga. "So what do you want from me?"

"Gather your tribe for war, to avenge your fallen brethren. If you survive this battle and live for the next five hundred years, then look me up in the Ningenkai," said Yusuke with a grin extending his hand to Kouga who took it his own.

"You bet, anybody who calls Inuyasha a mutt, is a friend of mine," said Kouga.

"One more thing Kouga, Kagome is my fiancée, so stop flirting with her," said Yusuke squeezing Kouga's hand to emphasize his point.

"Okay, just let go of m hand!" said Kouga as Yusuke released his hand and watched Kouga try and rub feeling back into it, but not before looking at Kagome for confirmation about what Yusuke claimed.

"I'm his fiancée willingly Kouga, now go before he changes his mind, " said Kagome as his widened and he took off, leaving a giggling Kagome standing there.

"Did you have to scare him like that?" asked Yusuke jokingly.

"It wasn't any worse than what you did," said Kagome as Yusuke wrapped his arms around her. "My, aren't you a frisky one."

Yusuke just smirked and lied down with Kagome in his arms, feeling complete.

"You have no idea," said Yusuke huskily as Kagome just giggled as they continued on further, past the point where neither one of them wanted to stop.

-

Hiei, Sango, and Kirara were still awaiting word from the Palace of the Northern Lands, as they moved about the medium sized village. It seemed that the Youkai guard was not kidding when he said that they didn't like Taijiya. Everywhere Sango went she received dirty looks, like she was the scum of the Earth, which she probably was in there eyes. It was because of the Queen of the Northern Lands, that humans and Youkai were able to coexist. The Lord of the Northern Lands fed on the prisoners in the dungeons at the palace and around the villages. It was known not to tempt his anger or you would regret it for the rest of your life.

"I wonder if this was such a good idea," said Sango quietly.

"Hn, they're all lower levels," said Hiei.

"Is that what you consider everybody! Low levels, weaklings, not worth your time!" demanded Sango.

"No, the detective was a low level that beat me and then, gradually, became a high level. Kurama was also a bit of a low level at the time from his life of luxury, but he also became a high level. The Miko is a high level, but just barely. The hanyou mutt is a stupid high level. The Reaper Girl is an average level, but with a punch of a high level. Genkai is a high level and she is an old hag, but with great knowledge and power. The monk is a low high level; he doesn't realize how to tap into his Reiki fully. The Neko is a high level because of her abilities. You are an extremely high average level, you need more and better training," said Hiei as he disappeared from sight.

'Grr! How can I like him! He is so damn infuriating and doesn't compliment anybody!' thought Sango angrily.

'Hmm, it seems the Taijiya is questioning her feelings. Not good. She will be killed yet, if she keeps this up,' thought Hiei studying Sango.

Three Days Later

A message finally arrived from the palace in the form of Raizen himself. He had come to see who had dared summon his presence. When Raizen saw Sango, a Taijiya, his anger started to rise, but he also a Neko with the Taijiya growling defensively at him, catching his curiosity.

_Your fight is not with them Lord Raizen,_ said Hiei telepathically.

"Who speaks to me without permission!" demanded Raizen angrily.

_Check your surroundings or you might find a sword in your back,_ said Hiei as Raizen turned to stare at Hiei who was smirking.

"You spoke and threatened me!" roared Raizen in anger.

"Only the foolish would threaten a Toushin, Lord Raizen," replied Hiei, causing Raizen to laugh.

"True! Only the foolish would threaten a Toushin! Are you the three who demanded an audience with me?" demanded Raizen.

"We are," said Hiei.

"What do you want?" asked Raizen suspiciously.

"An alliance, we are merely the messengers," said Sango as Hiei glared at her.

"Messengers think they can order me around!" said Raizen angrily. "KILL THEM!"

Sango was on Kirara's back instantly and in the air, while Hiei ran and leaped across the rooftops of the village. When they were plenty far enough away from the village they saw an army of Youkai roaring in anger at them as they charged them. Hiei had stopped in a clearing and smirked as he removed his head band and arm bandages.

For the first time Sango saw why Hiei wore the head band, it hid his third eye. She also saw why he had his right arm covered in bandages. From his arm rose what looked like a black mist or smoke or even black flames. She noticed the Youkai noticed this as well and the cruel smirk on Hiei's face.

"I'm sure you all know what this is!" yelled a Youkai. "It's a trick to scare us, an illusion, created by the Jagan Eye!"

"DRAGON OF THE DARKNESS FLAME!" yelled Hiei as the Youkai all suddenly glared at the one that told them it was trick as the dragon came down upon them, killing them instantly, not even giving them a chance to scream.

The surviving Youkai all turned to see their comrade's remains, nothing but blackened ash as the dragon continued upon its rampage through their ranks. Soon only one Youkai remained and it was Raizen himself who looked at the damage done to his ranks.

"We will talk now," said Raizen seeing that he was at a disadvantage.

"It is your choice, but we came to you for help. We are about to do battle with a hanyou by the name of Naraku and his ally Yakumo," said Hiei.

"I care not what happens in the Western Lands! If Sesshomaru's lands are overrun by these two, then so be it!" said Raizen.

"Even though a Toushin fights him for vengeance, even though this Toushin's mother was killed by Naraku?" asked Hiei.

"A Toushin fighting for vengeance is its concern alone," said Raizen.

"This Toushin is your descendant from five hundred years in the future," snapped Sango angrily without thinking.

"Then it is that Toushin's concern! If this Naraku killed a mate of mine in the future, then I will deal with him in the future," said Raizen.

"Naraku won't live that long if we are victorious in our battle," said Hiei.

"Maybe, however it is not of my concern, I will forgive you for decimating my army by a quarter, if you leave these lands! Tell the Toushin that it will have no help from the Northern Lands," said Raizen as he turned his back on them.

"Let's go, our mission was a failure," said Hiei. "Lord Raizen, this Toushin says he fights in your honor. You will train him in your last days. He will go by the name Roizen in honor of you and will be your successor."

"A male, this Toushin is a male, whom I will train in my last days?" asked Raizen curiously.

"Yes, he will make many enemies and install fear into the Youkai at the mere mention of his human name, but respect and fear at the mention of his Youkai name," said Hiei.

"He will be human first, then Toushin? His Reiki will be awakened after his first death, then after his second death his Youki will be awakened. He is a hanyou! You insult me with such accusations!" said Raizen.

"Believe what you will, but if you will not come, then so be it. Those were merely his last orders to give to you, to attempt and persuade you to come help him in his battle. The more Toushin, the better the odds," said Hiei as he disappeared leaving Raizen to ponder his message.

-

Inuyasha awoke that morning to laughter. Getting up out of bed he saw his children, Inyiko (In-Yee-Koh), the eldest daughter, Kiyasha (Key-Yah-Sha), the second eldest daughter, and Inuyako (In-You-Yah-Koh), the eldest son, playing with their little sisters, Kagome and Rein. Smiling to himself he saw that Kikyo had already fixed breakfast just in time for him to wash up. He was really happy and had thoughts over the past few days of just abandoning the others, but he knew he couldn't do it, no matter how much he might try. Kikyo knew it as well and was saddened by that fact, but also quite happy to know that Inuyasha would always be loyal and never sway, no matter what.

After breakfast Inuyasha played with his children, for what might be the last time he would ever be with them again, and he made love to Kikyo. If she got pregnant and it turned out to be a boy, they would name him Inuyasha if he never came back. However if he came back then it would be Inyuko (In-You-Koh).

"I love you Kikyo," said Inuyasha.

"I love you as well Inuyasha," said Kikyo as they embraced each other lovingly for probably, though hopefully not, the last time.

Inuyasha sped off through the forest back towards the rendezvous point, tears streaming down his face as memories of his life flashed before his very eyes. From his earliest memory to when he lost his mother to the time he first met Kikyo and fell in love with her to when she had seemingly betrayed him to his witnessing her resurrection in her clay body shell. It continued on to the meetings with Kikyo and had hurt Kagome, which hurt him, to the time when he tricked Sesshomaru in resurrecting Kikyo, to the first time they made love and had their three wonderful children. Then to when he had to leave her behind to take care of their children, while he searched out Naraku and the jewel shards, to the time they had two more children. The next memory was a painful one, a few months after the twins had been born, Kagome found out about him mating with Kikyo and him seeing the look of hurt in her eyes. He never meant to hurt Kagome, but he loved Kikyo with all his heart and his five children, now possibly six or more.

-

Hiei and Sango, along with Kirara made their way back towards the rendezvous point. They had been unsuccessful in gathering recruits from the Northern Lands, but they had seen that not everything is as it seems, an important lesson to remember. By night fall they had grown on each others nerves, Hiei already knowing about Sango's past, through Kagome's story and him probing her mind without her knowing.

"What is your problem!" demanded Sango angrily taking Hiei by surprise.

"Huh?" asked Hiei confused.

"Huh? Is that all you're going to say to me?" demanded Sango.

"You caught me be surprise is all," mumbled Hiei.

"Do you really resent me that much? Do you resent me so much that you can't even stand to look at me? Answer me damn it! Answer me!" said Sango as she started crying as she was reminded of painful memories for an unknown reason. "Please, just answer me, I don't want anything else, just an answer, do you resent me?"

Hiei was shocked to say the least, one minute Sango was chewing him out angrily, demanding answers, the next she was on the ground crying, like she was scared of rejection from him. Hiei didn't know what to say, he had no experience or knowledge of what to really do in these types of situations, he never had to deal with them before. This was the area that Kurama or Yoko was knowledgeable in. He had experience and had counseled Yusuke on a situation similar to this. He did the only thing that felt right to do in his situation, he told the truth.

"No," said Hiei as she looked up at him with her tear stained face confused. "I don't resent you, I never have. I have been unable to say anything to you, because I don't know how. I was raised without any parents or siblings. I was cast out from my home, from my mother, not long after my birth."

"How sad, you never knew your mother or your father?" asked Sango as she moved next to him as he shook his head a tear escaping from his eyes. "My mother died when I was young and the Naraku killed my father, by controlling my younger brother. He has him in his clutches as a prisoner and a servant. I just want to free him the only way I can think of and then end it all."

"No!" said Hiei sternly. "You will not kill him or yourself! I will not allow it! I may be the forbidden child, as far as the Ice Koorime's are concerned, but I will not loose an ally or a friend."

"You consider me a friend?" asked Sango shocked and hopeful.

"No," replied Hiei, causing Sango's heart and hope to fall. "I consider you more than a friend, I love you. I want, no, need you to be my mate, I can't stand to be away from you. I've never felt this way about anybody before."

Sango was shocked, he didn't consider her a friend, yes, but he considered her something better, something more. He considered her somebody he loved and couldn't stand to be without or away from, it warmed her heart to no end. As if answering an unasked question, she moved closer to him and laid her head down on his shoulder.

"I love you too," whispered Sango in Hiei's ear.

The two of them shared their first kiss together that night, acknowledging each others existence in a way that was more than just friends or allies, but two beings who loved each other deeply. Their passion was ignited and nothing could put it out, they had completely forgotten about Kirara, who had moved off to the far end of the clearing in a nice batch of flowers that made a nice cushion. Hiei laid his claim on Sango, marking her with the typical Youkai marking of their mates, but also with his won special mark, he used his Youki to leave a mark that consisted of a tear within a flame. Their passion exceeded what they thought was possible, continuing on through the night where neither wanted it the night to end.

-

A/N: Well that's it for Chapter Five, hope you'll like it. As I stated at the beginning of the chapter the current pairings results are still the same. As such, I am removing the pairings by the start of the next chapter. The next chapter will have the final results of the pairings, which I hope you will all like. I've said it before in the last chapter or two. I'm looking for someone to help co-author an YYH/IY story with me. Well here are the poll results for the pairings:

Yusuke/Kagome: 10, Inuyasha/Kagome: 4, Hiei/Sango: 6

Miroku/Botan: 4, Inuyasha/Kikyo: 4, Kurama/Yukina: 1

Now here is the question of the chapter:

What should happen next? Your choice, pleas explain

Again thanks to everyone who has reviewed and made this story the one with the second largest amount of reviews that I've ever received on one story.

Shadow Kage

* * *


	6. Recruitment II

A/N: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story. For anybody curious, this story is only about half done after these next few chapters. The poll results have climbed and the final results are:

Note: The Kurama/Yukina pairing is still up to be voted on, along with any other Kurama pairing except with Kagome, Botan, Sango, and Kikyo.

Yusuke/Kagome: 11, Hiei/Sango: 6, Miroku/Botan: 5

Inuyasha/Kikyo: 5, Kurama/Yukina: 2, Kurama/Your Choice

For the one who let me know the pace was a bit fast, I plan on trying to slow it down for this chapter. For everyone else, here is Chapter Six!

Chapter Six: Recruitment II

Yusuke, Kagome, and Shippo were at the gates of Sesshomaru's palace. They hadn't realized, with how dark it was, how close they actually had been. Yusuke and Kagome had been awoken that very morning b Shippo in a really compromising and embarrassing situation and position, enough so that they neither spoke about it the entire morning on their way to Sesshomaru's palace.

Flashback

Shippo awoke to the suns rays on his face, making it hard to sleep with the light pouring down onto his face. Looking around he saw Kagome's bike, her backpack, but didn't se Kagome or Yusuke anywhere. However he could smell that Kouga had been here the previous night, which made him worry if Kouga took Kagome and ran off with her again. However that wasn't the case when his eyes fell upon the sleeping couple entangled in each others arms under the heavy blanket. He could smell clearly what had happened the previous night with the two and was kind of disappointed that Kagome didn't mate with the Silver Kitsune. However as he carefully made his way closer he saw the faint smile on her face as she slept comfortably in Yusuke's arms. As they stirred a little, Shippo froze and noticed the mark on the right side of Kagome's collar bone. He also noticed the mark on Yusuke's collar bone as well. Deciding to brave the potential onslaught of yelling and cursing he did something that would change his view of Yusuke forever.

"Mama?" asked Shippo as Kagome's eyes snapped open.

"Um, Shippo?" asked Kagome nervously as she pulled the blanket up to cover her.

"Yeah mama?" asked Shippo.

"Can you go et some fire wood for breakfast?" asked Kagome with a heavy blush of embarrassment on her face.

"Sure mama, but what about him?" asked Shippo pointing to Yusuke. "He broke Youkai law, by not challenging Sesshomaru."

"Actually squirt, in my time if the female is willing then there isn't anything the protector of the female can do about it. As it is, that is only a temporary mark," said Yusuke as he sat smirking at Shippo. "Besides, how would you know about this part of the Youkai law anyway? I had to learn it the hard way."

"Um, well, I'll go get that fire wood," said Shippo nervously.

"Shippo!" said Kagome sternly as Shippo froze. "Was it Miroku who told you? Or was it Inuyasha?"

"Um… it was… um…"

"I see, it was both of them," said Kagome.

"Looks like the mutt is going to be sore when we meet up again," said Yusuke.

"Shippo, go!" said Kagome as Shippo ran off rather quickly. "Let's not speak of this until later. Sesshomaru isn't going to be happy."

"No kidding, but I'll tell you now I don't regret it and I never will. The kid's got guts and is very protective of you. You adopted him and made him your son," said Yusuke as Kagome looked at him strangely as to why he was repeating the obvious as they dressed to more less revealing articles of clothing. "I wouldn't mind adopting the kid to be son either, with your permission of course."

They heard the drop of wood and saw Shippo staring at Yusuke in shock. Yusuke watched the kid carefully as he tears dwelled up in his eyes.

"Mama?" asked Shippo hopefully. "Am I going to have a papa now?"

"Um…" started Kagome as she looked at Shippo seeing the hope in his eyes.

She just couldn't resist Shippo and she was Shippo's adopted mother after all. What right did she have to deny him a father? Especially since his birth parents were deceased. She loved Yusuke deeply and was touched that he would be willing to adopt Shippo as his own son, even though they are two different Youkai types. It was very rare that such a thing ever happened, but when it did happen the Youkai that adopted it was usually never seen from again. This was what scared Kagome the most, that she would never see Yusuke again if he adopted Shippo.

"I don't know… from what I've been told of Youkai adopting a Youkai kit of another type, I'm scared to think what might happen. The Youkai who adopted the other are usually never seen again, but when they are found they're dead. Then the one adopted is also killed as well," said Kagome softly.

"I know your fears Kagome, but I know the risks. If you will allow it I will adopt Shippo as my son, even if he is a Kitsune. I have many allies and am one of the most powerful Youkai in the Makai, Reikai, and Ningenkai. The only ones that pose a threat to me are Naraku and Yakumo. But there are others who pose a threat to me, however they are my allies… for now," said Yusuke as the subject was dropped and they ate breakfast and started on their way to Sesshomaru's palace.

End Flashback

They arrived at Sesshomaru's palace with thick tension in the air. Yusuke slammed his fist into the entrance door causing it to split right up to the top. Yusuke smirked angrily as he decided that about one more punch would open the door. As he readied his next punch the door collapsed in on itself, on the other side of the door at the entrance into the main building of the palace, stood Sesshomaru. He was quite angry as he could smell what Yusuke and Kagome had done the night before and for daring to intrude into his palace without his permission. Drawing Tokijin, he charged Yusuke and nearly took his head, however Yusuke had ducked low to the ground and was able to hit Sesshomaru with an extremely powerful uppercut to the jaw.

"You will pay for mating with my sister without challenging, defeating, and gaining my permission first!" snapped Sesshomaru angrily after recovering from Yusuke's uppercut.

"Yeah, you and your toy sword are going to make me pay? That'll be the day that I die a third time!" said Yusuke as he threw a punch at Sesshomaru who blocked with Tokijin.

"You cannot defeat me hanyou!" sneered Sesshomaru.

"I could have defeated you when I was just a Class A human! But now I'm a Class S Youkai hanyou!" said Yusuke as he threw a kick that tie, only to have Sesshomaru block it with Tokijin again and sneered at him. "THAT DOES IT!"

Sesshomaru watched as Yusuke begun his transformation into his Youkai form. He was awed by the way Yusuke's aura enveloped him like a flame. Then it grew so bright that everyone had to look away. When it faded there stood Yusuke with knee length wild hair and tattoos across his face, upper torso, upper arms, and on his lower arms almost to his wrists. He glared at Sesshomaru venomously and for the first time in his life Sesshomaru was frightened of another Youkai. Deciding that Yusuke was too dangerous and powerful to be left alive he drew on Tokijin's full power.

"Your final move hanyou," said Sesshomaru venomously as Kagome knew his intentions and started crying, knowing full well that she couldn't interfere.

"Fine," said Yusuke angrily as he drew on his reiki and as Sesshomaru readied Tokijin to block whatever attack Yusuke would use. "SPIRIT GUN!"

The blast released was enormous, so much that when it collided with Tokijin, Sesshomaru had trouble standing his ground and blacking the attack as Yusuke poured more power into the blast. Sesshomaru himself was able to hold his ground, however the blast did more than just wear him down it also cracked Tokijin. Sesshomaru smirked seeing that the blast was not as powerful as he had originally thought, so he used Tokijin's Youki against Yusuke, sending it right at him. However Yusuke stood his ground and reflected the Tokijin's Youki right back at Sesshomaru who leaped out of the way of the reflected blast. When he landed he turned to see a large blast already fired right at him and almost completely upon him. Quickly bringing Tokijin up to defend himself the blast hit the sword and shattered it, causing everyone to gasp in surprise, including Sesshomaru himself. Using the remains of Tokijin Sesshomaru went to stab Yusuke and kill him, but found Yusuke's index finger, glowing with a small blue point of Reiki, pointed right at his face not even an inch away.

"You loose Sesshomaru, now we fight without Reiki, Youki, or weapons. We fight hand to hand," said Yusuke backing off, allowing Sesshomaru to stand up and charge him, claws out and ready to rip Yusuke to shreds.

Yusuke being a professional street fighter and all around thug was more than experienced in hand to hand combat. It was what he specialized in and nobody had ever been able to beat him in it. As Sesshomaru was almost right upon him, he smirked and charged Sesshomaru head on.

Sesshomaru was surprised to see Yusuke charge him head on, but smirked to himself thinking that Yusuke was just making his life shorter. Slashing his claws downward right at Yusuke, just as Yusuke launched his punch at Sesshomaru.

-

Inuyasha had been running al night to get back to the rendezvous place, which had been designated as Sesshomaru's palace. He saw Sesshomaru's palace in the distance, which had once belonged to their father. He knew that Sesshomaru didn't care for him as his brother, even as a half brother. He remembered vividly all the battles they had trying to prove who was stronger. They had even tried to kill each other multiple times, just because they couldn't agree and get along with one another. When he arrived at Sesshomaru's palace though he saw that the main gate was in ruins. He saw the battle waging between Yusuke, the one who had harmed him in such a way that he never wanted to feel it again, and his half-brother Sesshomaru, Lord of the Western Lands. The battle was intense and clearly it looked like Yusuke might win, but then Inuyasha saw Sesshomaru use Tokijin's full power and wondered if even Yusuke could stand up to that much power. It turned out that Yusuke could not only stand up to it, but also reflect the attack right back at him and launch another attack right afterward in a spot that was empty. However it appeared that Yusuke had anticipated his move and the blast was right on top of Sesshomaru, who moved Tokijin to block the attack, but when the blast hit Tokijin it shattered the blade.

'How can anybody be this powerful!' thought Inuyasha as he watched the two enter a fist fight where the last two attacks caused a shockwave and everybody waited for the dust to settle.

"How can he be so powerful?' asked a voice behind Inuyasha, who spun around to see a dumbfounded and shocked Kouga.

"I know exactly what you mean," said Inuyasha as he turned around to see the out come.

-

Hiei and Sango had awoken in the early morning, dressed, eaten, and begun the travel to the rendezvous point at Sesshomaru's palace. Traveling all of the early morning they reached the rendezvous point without trouble. Upon entering the clearing they saw the main gate in ruins and Sesshomaru and Yusuke battling one another. Using his Jagan Eye, Hiei was able to determine that Kurama and his group were still a day or two's travel away. They would miss the outcome of this battle, a battle that may very well go down in history as one of the greatest battle in history.

"I'd say he was crazy to fight Sesshomaru, but after all I've heard of him? I'd say he's crazy enough to fight anybody, even if there were greater odds of him loosing and dieing," said Sango as Hiei nodded in agreement.

-

Three Days Earlier

Kurama, Botan, and Miroku were shown to the exit of the cave by a Reikan known as Gotan, ironically Botan's Great-Great-Grandfather. According to Botan she was the first girl in her entire family. All her descendants were male and she wasn't exactly liked by the males in her family. Only her mother, grandmother, aunts, and female cousins treated her like she even existed. The only one who ever had, was the future Koenma and her younger brother Dendou. Once they were out of the catacombs Botan's Great-Great-Grandfather grabbed her by the arm and spun her around.

"What is your name?" he demanded angrily.

"My name does not concern you!" snapped Botan angrily.

"Very well traitor, throwing your lot in with the Youkai and humans. Once King Enma is finished with the Youkai, this world will be made a paradise for all Reikan, except the traitors to his cause. You are one of them, especially since you throw yourself in the lot of this Youkai and human as their wench and concubine," said the Reikan.

"WHAT?" screamed Botan as her yell echoed down into the catacombs. "I AM NOT THEIR WENCH OR CONCUBINE! I AM MY OWN MASTER AND I WILL NOT EVER BE THEIR OR ANYBODY ELSE'S WENCH OR CONCUBINE! I WILL DIE BEFORE I LET THAT HAPPEN TO ME!"

The Reikan was surprised at Botan's boldness to dare argue with a male Reikan and one who was her superior and senior. When he recovered he slapped her hard across the face and was met with a hard slap to the face, by the monk's staff, sending him sprawling to the floor.

"Never hit her again! Or I swear I will personally kill you myself!" said Miroku as he helped Botan up from the ground. "Remember my words, remember them long and hard and you may survive the centuries to come."

Botan herself was touched by what Miroku was willing to sacrifice. He had just made an enemy of her family and if she and he returned to the future, then she would be outcast from her family. But by Koenma's own law, female Reikan held just as man rights as a male Reikan and that the two genders were equal, not male over female.

"Let's go Miroku," said Botan softly as Miroku nodded and Kurama followed behind them shortly after. "Kurama what did you say to him?"

"I told him, that I was from the future and in that future the Reikan were restricted to the Reikai because this world was more dangerous and perilous with its unpredictable weather. I also told him that in the future Enma has become a dictator, forcing his laws upon the humans unknowingly. I explained to him briefly that Enma became drunk with power and had even his own people executed, because they asked a simple question. And that the question was why. Why should they the Reikan make war with the Youkai and enslave the humans? Why were the Youkai their sworn enemies, because they were more numerous and many more types among them? I left him pondering these questions along with a few more. Why should female Reikan be below male Reikan? Is it because the female Reikan were wiser and foresaw the outcomes of a war with the Youkai and humans? Or was it simply because the female Reikan held more power than the male Reikan by their persuasive natures?" said Kurama. "Enma wouldn't dare execute any of his own now, if he did, he would only confirm these questions and that would be very bad for Enma, executing female Reikan. Not only would he reduce the chances of his race surviving, but he would cause many to revolt against him and cause a civil war among the Reikan."

"Kurama you're a genius! You're absolutely right! I can already remember the changes in history. The war did indeed happen, but with a twist, Enma himself had been corrupted before the war, but upon hearing these questions, he will have no choice but to ignore them, also confirming the questions. Either way Enma looses and the future is that much better," said Botan cheerfully.

"Maybe, but still history can be changed again. We must still be wary and cautious not to change history too much. We have only changed history regarding the Reikan and the Youkai War, and the laws forced unknowingly upon the humans," said Miroku as they stared at him shocked. "What did you think I was not listening in? I am right here with you and I am learning that the future you describe may not be one I would like to see."

Botan's face fell at this little bit of information and was saddened by the fact that Miroku may not want to come with her to the future. But she also understood better than she let on at most times. She may be cheerful and bubbly at times, well most of the time, did not mean she wasn't intelligent or not have clue about grim and serious things. No, it was quite the opposite. Her cheerful and bubbly personality is what she used to help others feel at ease. However even she had her limits and she was nearing them, they would be put to the test, a test that may very well reveal her normal, true personality. A personality that was more human and Youkai like than most realized, she was unusual for a Reikan. So much so that she was assigned to a department for the lowest Reikan's, the Grim Reapers, the Ferry Girls, the Navigators of the River Styx, she was put into such a low department because of who she was and how she acted. However Koenma himself soon promoted her to be his most recent Spirit Detective's assistant, she would report directly to Koenma himself and relay the news to his Spirit Detective, who had just happened to have been her first case as a Grim Reaper.

"Is something wrong lady Botan?" asked Miroku curiously, concerned for her safety and health, along with her happiness.

"No, just thinking of the past, I was and am unusual for a Reikan, so much so that when I went to work at the palace, I was given the lowest of the lowest jobs. I was a Ferry Girl and my family, the males of my family anyway, was ashamed and disgusted with me, except my little brother Dendou," said Botan sadly.

"I see, well you can tell us or just me about yourself as we make our way to the rendezvous point, we have about three or four days of traveling to do," said Miroku comfortingly.

"Thank you," said Botan as they continued on towards Sesshomaru's palace.

-

They walked for at least two days and were only a day or two away from Sesshomaru's palace. Once there they would rest for a day or two, if Sesshomaru would allow it, then they would make their way towards the Valley of Darkness. This was where they suspected Naraku to be hiding, especially since no one who has gone into the valley has ever come out of the valley. Along this time Miroku and Botan had grown closer, each confiding in each other, their darkest fears, but also their brightest hopes.

Miroku's brightest hope was obvious. He wanted a family, one where he did not have to worry about his cursed hand and the void within it. His cursed hand would be like his other hand, a perfectly normal hand, with nothing to fear from his hand. He wanted many children, sons and daughters and he wanted a loving wife. He didn't care if they would have to adopt or not, he would treat them as if they were his own.

It turned out Botan's brightest hope was quite similar to Miroku's with only a few minor differences. She would like to give birth to sons and daughters, instead of having to adopt them, but would adopt if she had to. She wanted the man whom she could trust, a man that would not cheat on her, someone whom would faithful for his entire life, even with great temptations. She wanted someone to love and cherish, someone who would also love and cherish her.

It was the night before they would arrive at the rendezvous point that Botan could no longer keep her secret to herself. So she went to Kurama for advice, but found that Kurama was already speaking with Miroku. Quickly, she hid herself behind a tree and listened to them speak quietly, but loud enough for her to hear.

"Have you told this woman how you feel?" asked Kurama.

"Not completely, no, I fear rejection on her par, because of my past, because of my lecherous ways at times. I'm completely in love with her, but I can't bear to have my heart broken if she rejects me. I have lost many I have cared about in my life, my parents and friends, even those whom I did not know, but were hurt and died because of my recklessness. I live with the pain and sorrow each day not expecting anyone to love me. I have attempted to take many women to bed with me, but in the end for some reason I cannot bring myself to do it," said Miroku with guilt evident in his voice.

"Can you tell me her name? Is it someone I know, I promise I won't tell a soul," said Kurama comfortingly. "I won't tell unless you give me permission to tell somebody."

"Alright, you know her… its Lady Botan," said Miroku as they heard a gasp from the woods behind them. "Who's there, show yourself!"

"I'm sorry, I was coming to talk to Kurama when I overheard your conversation," said Botan apologetically. "Please forgive me."

"I forgive you Lady Botan… I do love you, with all my heart. However if you do not feel the same way as I do, then I shall step back," said Miroku as Botan surprised him as he finished speaking and kissed full on the lips.

When the two parted Botan said, "I love you too."

The two kissed again and Kurama left them to their privacy of one another's company. Soon Kurama could hear the passionate cries from the two of them as their passion went beyond friends and allies to something more. Kurama chuckled to himself as he leaned against a tree to rest, though he was slightly saddened by the fact that everyone he knew had somebody to love them, while he was alone. He once had somebody, but she betrayed him and made him look like a fool, it was then that he made it known that he was not to be toyed with, banishing her and her mate from the Southern Lands.

-

Five Hundred Years in the Future (Present Day)

Yukina lay on the floor bleeding from her forehead and mouth. She had been kidnapped, even though they called it arresting her for illegally entering into the Ningenkai. She had entered the way she always had, at Genkai's Shrine, where it was a safe haven for Youkai. However this time it had been different, she had received a letter that said her brother had been found. She rushed to the portal that would take her to Genkai's Shrine, where she would get the information on where to find her brother. Instead she was abducted and Genkai was left on the ground sorely beaten and on the verge of dieing.

Flashback

"Welcome to the Reikai prison Youkai filth," said one guard slapping her hard across the face and into her cell.

"What have I done wrong? I was guaranteed safe passage into the Ningenkai at Genkai's Shrine! You are violating the law!" said Yukina angrily and sadly.

"You violated the law, by coming into the Ningenkai. Youkai are not allowed there, unless it is for the Dark Tournament! You Youkai think you can do whatever you want, entering and leaving as you please, without permission at that! After you spend three weeks here, the ultimate defilement and torture for you begins," said the guard.

"What is that?" asked Yukina fearfully.

"Simple, we will have our ways with you. Either you will become a concubine or you will be used for our pleasure and then eliminated. You have three weeks to choose, maybe longer if you're good and don't cause any fights," said the guard.

Yukina was frightened, she didn't want to be a concubine for anybody and she certainly didn't want to be eliminated either. She was going to have tough time surviving here, but she knew help would come for her. She knew Kurama would find a way to come to her aid or he would send someone to help her. She knew that Touya and Jin would come for her, once she didn't show up for the check in at Genkai's Shrine in three days.

One and Half Weeks Later

"Well my pretty young thing, it seems your time has been cut in half. You will be beaten and then we will have our way with you. Consider this a gift, especially since it isn't King Enma who is going to hurt you personally," said the guard.

"He is the one responsible for this?" said Yukina.

"Yes, since your brother has disappeared into the past on Prince Koenma's orders. King Enma thought it only appropriate that his twin sister become his guards personal play thing and do whatever they wanted with her. You do know I'm talking about you right?" asked the guard as Yukina nodded and the guard started her beating.

After hours of her being beaten, the guard began to undress himself and Yukina, ready to have his way with her. However, just as his last article of clothing was removed, an explosion sounded down the hallway. But the guard ignored it and advanced on Yukina, her helpless inside her cell, because of he wards that prevented her from shielding herself from the guard. Just as the guard got to her and grabbed her face, he fell back with a long and thick ice spear sticking through his chest. He was dead and Yukina saw Jin and Touya as they rushed to her side and clothed her nakedness. She cried tears of happiness and finally being saved and that she hadn't been defiled in such a horrid way. When they reached Koenma's office, they saw him with the expressions of anger, surprise, guilt, and relief on his face.

"Yukina, are you okay?" asked Koenma worriedly.

She just nodded, afraid of Koenma, because he was Reikan and that it was a Reikan who had been and almost raped her. She stood behind Touya as Jin explained where they found her and what had happened to her and what almost happened to her.

"Yukina, I need you to trust me. I'm going to send you back to where your brother currently is. He is five hundred years in the past, along with Kurama, Yusuke, and Botan. However do not tell him that I told you who he was. I am doing this for your own protection, especially since you were attacked and abducted at a safe haven for Youkai. Genkai will be alright, she's healing pretty quickly, but it will be a while before she can move the way she was before being attacked. Jin is going to stay behind and watch over her, while I'm sending Touya with you for protection, especially if you meet my past self. If you do, then leave as quickly as you can, back then I was as bad as my father and those loyal to him," said Koenma as Yukina just nodded and Koenma opened the portal that would take her back to the Feudal Era.

She stepped into it quickly, along with Touya, and Koenma closed it and had it sealed by Reikai Wards, Youkai Wards, Monk Wards, Priest Wards, and Miko Wards. He didn't want it leaving his sight and if it did, he didn't want it operable.

-

Feudal Era – Kurama, Botan, and Miroku's Campsite

Yukina and Touya were dumped unceremoniously on the ground rather hard. When they stood up they saw Kurama, Botan, and a human male looking at them. Upon seeing Kurama, Yukina rushed to him and flung herself into his arms crying terribly.

"What happened, to make Koenma send her back to this dangerous time!" demanded Kurama angrily.

"Enma had his guards abduct her from the safe haven of Genkai's Shrine and imprison her. There she was beaten for one and a half weeks and nearly raped by a Reikan guard, because of this she is afraid of anybody that is Reikan. She kept ducking behind me every time Koenma spoke to her. I don't know if she will interact with Botan or not," said Touya. "Genkai was beaten badly and Jin was the one left behind to help her. Jin will help her, he has too much respect for her and he does it out of loyalty for Yukina and Urameshi himself."

"Damn Enma!" said Kurama as he held Yukina tightly in his arms as she cried and tried to bury herself in his chest. "Yukina, your brother is here in the past with us. However he fears you won't accept, because of his past. He has a criminal record with the Reikai and does not believe you will accept him because of his criminal record. I need to know, will you accept him for who he is?"

"The Reikai can go straight to hell for all I'm concerned," said Yukina softly, yet with anger and fear in her voice.

"Yukina?" asked Botan as she approached her slowly. "I'm sorry about what people have done to you. If it helps any, I feel the same way you do about them, but they're not all bad, not all of them are like Enma and his flunkies. Many despise Enma, but are not strong enough to do anything to him, because of his enormous power."

"I trust you Botan. You have always helped me and protected me. You have allowed me to confide in you about personal matters. You would never hurt me, I fear male Reikan most of all, but I fear female Reikan as well, except for you Botan," said Yukina slowly as she and Botan hugged like sisters or good friends would.

"Let's go, Yusuke, must know of this. He is the only one strong enough at current time to put Enma in his place," said Kurama as he picked Yukina up bridal style and began to run through the forest towards Sesshomaru's palace.

-

Hours Earlier

Sesshomaru was surprised to see Yusuke charge him head on, but smirked to himself thinking that Yusuke was just making his life shorter. Slashing his claws downward right at Yusuke, just as Yusuke launched his punch at Sesshomaru. When the smoke cleared away it was shocking, they couldn't tell, at the moment, which of the two was victorious. Sesshomaru's claws had connected with Yusuke's back and Yusuke's punch landed in Sesshomaru's stomach. After several minutes Sesshomaru and Yusuke both fell forward and hit the ground hard at the same time. It was a draw and very anti-climatic, many had thought Yusuke would win, but also thought that Sesshomaru might pull it off and be victorious, but they never thought a tie would happen, that both would win and loose.

Then they heard noises from the forest, it sounded like there was yelling involved. When they looked up they saw Botan and Miroku descending at about the same time that Kurama, Yukina, and Touya burst into the clearing. Yukina recognizing only Hiei, put two and two together and quickly rushed over to him, when Kurama put her down, and hugged him tightly, surprising Hiei and making Sango angry and very jealous.

"Yukina, what are you doing here?" asked Hiei.

"Are you not glad to see me brother?" asked Yukina as Hiei's eyes widened.

"How did you know?" asked Hiei.

"Kurama told me, he thought it would with what I have to tell you. I accept you brother, I love you. Please don't be mad at him or me. I'm here for my own protection," said Yukina as she promised to explain more later as she went over to Yusuke and Sesshomaru and began healing them.

In about five minutes they were both completely healed and awake. They grasped each others hands in acknowledgement that they were both very powerful. Sesshomaru gave his blessings and they went inside to eat breakfast.

Later That Night

Everyone sat in the main hall (room) as Yukina and Touya were introduced to everyone. They both bowed to Sesshomaru respectfully and were acknowledged with him telling them to proceed. Once introductions were finished, Yukina told them what happened to her in their time. How Enma had her kidnapped from the safe haven for Youkai, then beaten in a Reikai prison, and then how she would have been raped if it wasn't for Touya and Jin. She also confessed her fear of the Reikan, for which Sesshomaru did not chastise her for. The innocence that had clearly once been in her eyes had been cruelly and forcefully taken from her. Though she still held her true innocence, she had been scarred for the rest of her life and would probably never recover from her fear of the Reikan. Though she might recover, she would never be as trustful as she once was, never again would she let herself be defenseless like she had been. Sesshomaru had offered her training, which Yukina gladly accepted and thanked Sesshomaru for.

"Sesshomaru, I didn't know you could be so caring," said Kagome.

"Maybe not, but no Youkai or even human should have to face such horrors. Not even I will result to such dishonorable tactics. You, Prince of the Toushin, make Enma suffer. You seem to have an unquenchable fury to harm Enma, do so and make him suffer for taking ones innocence so harshly. No Youkai Lord or Youkai Prince or Youkai Princess or Youkai Lady, would do such things," said Sesshomaru visibly angry as his eyes glowed red for a split second.

That night was spent in Sesshomaru's palace, though he personally wanted Kagome and Yusuke in their own rooms, neither would accept. Especially since they had to finish an argument, or as they called it, a heated discussion or loud discussion.

"Listen Kagome, I don't give a damn about what others will do or say to me. I am the Youkai Lord of the Northern Lands, when Naraku is dead and Yakumo as well, then we will return to our own time. Once there, we will meet with Koenma and I will severe any connections that may put our family in danger. I will not allow you or Shippo to be put into harms way, not like that," said Yusuke.

"So you would put me and Shippo in harms way in any other way, then?" asked Kagome angrily as she glared at Yusuke.

"NO! I would die before I put you or Shippo in danger! I will die a third time, before I ever let that happen!" said Yusuke.

"Then don't adopt Shippo, if you can't accept the facts, then maybe we shouldn't be together. If you can't accept what I want, what I need, then it's over between you and me! Now can you accept my terms, can you accept what I want, what I need?" asked Kagome sternly.

"Then I guess it is over between us Kagome. Once this battle is over and Naraku and Yakumo are dead we go our own ways. You go where ever you want and I'll go on living like I did before I ever met you," said Yusuke with the pain obvious in his voice.

"I guess so, I'm sorry it had to come to this," said Kagome softly as she put a hand on Yusuke's shoulder who shoved it off.

"If you were sorry, then it would never have come to this. Once our enemies are gone, I'm going to remain here and fight Enma. I'm the one who should be sorry. Ever since my return from the Makai in our time, I've been cursed to go through the rest of my existence without someone to be by my side. I may be a hanyou, but I was human before I was a hanyou. I understand better than you think Kagome, I was human for sixteen years and I've been dead before. I've been a ghost that was given a second chance at life," said Yusuke as he turned to leave the room, before pausing. "I once heard an old saying that was used when a man's love tried to keep him from being happy. The two argued, like we just did and she called him a monster, just like you, but in so many words. The man replied, 'I'm a monster? All I wish is to make others happy, I have sacrificed many things to do this. To protect you and others, people I don't even know, so they can be happy. And you call me a monster? Look as yourself and what your trying to do and tell me who the real monster is.'"

As soon as Yusuke finished he left the room, leaving Kagome to ponder what he had just said. She looked at the ring that symbolized their love for one another and felt that she didn't deserve to wear it, but could not bring herself to remove the ring. She didn't know why, but Yusuke's little story had touched her. She knew it was merely a reference to what he was really talking about. Yusuke had sacrificed everything he had since he first came back and was given a second chance. He had all but sacrificed his relationship with his first fiancée only to have her stab him in the back and shatter his heart. All Yusuke wanted to do was make Shippo happy, by giving him a father, even if he was only an adopted father. But Kagome feared the consequences of such an action, he would not be very well liked by other Youkai, not that he already wasn't, but she would risk loosing him and she didn't know if she could bear that kind of loss.

'I can't loose Yusuke… I love him too much to loose him in anyway. I'm in such a paradox, that either way I risk loosing him. But at the same time I can't deny Shippo a chance to have a real family again…' thought Kagome as her thoughts trailed off and she fell asleep.

Dream Sequence

Kagome stood on a porch watching Yusuke and Shippo playing around. She held a smile on her face, but then she saw a blast hit Yusuke and Shippo from behind, killing them both instantly. She collapsed to her knees in shock and cried out in despair at the loss of her family. Then she saw a pink and blue light and a woman stood before her.

"Who are you?" asked Kagome.

"I am your ancestor, I am the greatest and most powerful Miko to ever exist, I am Midoriko. You have lost your family, your loved ones, due to the choices they made. However it was not in vain, they were happy, they loved one another and you. They were happy, but this does not have to happen, the Youkai of this day and age are different than the Youkai of five hundred years ago. Tell me Kagome, my descendant, my daughter, what does your heart tell you? What do you feel, will you sacrifice everything you love for a fear that he knows may cost him his life at a later date?" asked Midoriko softly as she held a crying Kagome. "Tell me dear, what does your heart tell you?"

"I can't loose him, not over something so silly. I love him too much, to let this stand in our way. I have to tell him, he means everything to me. If I were to loose him, before we could truly be happy, I would never forgive myself," said Kagome.

"Then you know what you must do dear. Tell him, before it is too late," said Midoriko softly to Kagome.

"Thank you, but I am curious, what did you mean when you called me your daughter?" asked Kagome.

"All who look to me as an example are fools, but those who look to me as a person, a mother, are powerful. They know they must do what they must, even if it means their own life must be sacrificed. You are my daughter at heart, though you are not completely of my blood, like your great-great-grandmother, you are as much my daughter as your other ancestors. My own mother was a powerful miko who fell in love with a powerful monk who sacrificed his own life to protect mine and my mothers. In my heart, in my soul, you are my daughter, never forget this, I will always be with you, in heart and in spirit," said Midoriko softly.

(A/N: If the above part is confusing for you, let me know and I'll fix it to where it's not as confusing for anybody.)

"I won't, thank you," said Kagome as she awoke.

End Dream Sequence

Kagome quietly moved through her room, into the hall, then to where she could see the silhouette of Yusuke. He stood there looking to the moon and seemingly talking with somebody, but she knew he was merely talking to himself, to calm himself down.

"Yusuke?" asked Kagome softly.

Yusuke turned around and Kagome was for the first time frightened of him, his eyes were glowing pale blue, while he stood and stared at her.

"Kagome" said Yusuke hoarsely. "Help me, please."

She could see what the problem was, with their earlier argument and her seemingly rejecting him, he attempted to force the Youkai part of him out of himself. But only succeeded in awakening it fully as it fought for control of him of his body and mind. She could see the anguished look on his face as he fought himself and the tears that were rolling down his face.

"Help me, please, Kagome," said Yusuke as he doubled over in pain. "Help me, purify me, in the pain."

"No, I can't purify you, I love you too much," said Kagome as she lowered herself closer to him, causing him to freeze in surprise. "I love you as you are, quit fighting yourself and embrace what you are."

Yusuke just nodded and closed his eyes as Kagome leaned against him and spoke soothing words to him. When he finally reopened his eyes he looked down at Kagome whose own face was stained with tears.

"Do you really love me?" asked Yusuke uncertainly.

"Yes, I do really love you Yusuke Urameshi, Prince Roizen of the Toushin, I do love you. I give my consent for you to adopt Shippo as your son, regardless of the consequences. I can't live without you, I love you too much," said Kagome as she fell asleep in his arms and they lay there as Yusuke fell asleep as well.

The Next Morning

Yusuke and Kagome had awoken early and retreated to their room, where they reconciled with one another. They knew what day it was, it was the day they were to do battle with Naraku and Yakumo. To finally be rid of the two most wretched Youkai ever to exist. Everybody who decided to join the fight knew what day it was, the beginning of a brutal and bloody war.

-

A/N: I hope everybody liked this chapter, this was actually the trickiest one to write. Especially since I had to slow the pace down a bit. Well here are the final parings results:

Yusuke/Kagome: 11, Hiei/Sango: 6, Miroku/Botan: 5

Inuyasha/Kikyo: 5, Kurama/Yukina: 2, Kurama/Your Choice

Poll:

Should the war with Yakumo and Naraku be one or two chapters? You choose, explain

What should happen in this war? You choose, explain

Should somebody on Yusuke's side die? If so, who? You choose, explain

That's it, thanks to everybody for all the reviews. Only about ten more to go, before I beat _Dark Tide: Shadow Saiyan_ in reviews! Please keep reviewing.

Shadow Kage

* * *


	7. Confrontation III: War's Beginning

Chapter Seven: Confrontation III: War's Beginning

They had been walking for a few days now, without a single trace of their real enemies, Naraku and Yakumo. It was unnerving, yet appreciated in a way. It meant they had time to train, after they set camp up, and get stronger. It also meant that they could be being watched by their enemy, with a spy among their ranks. So only the most trusted were told the battle plans, which wasn't much. Hiei, Sango, and Sesshomaru would come at the valley from the east, Kurama, Shippo, Touya, and Yukina would come at it from the north, Kouga and Ayame, who had joined them as they made their way towards the valley, would come in from the south, Miroku and Botan would come in from the west, while Kagome, Inuyasha, and Yusuke would go straight for the heart, the others were to attack as soon as they got into position, no matter what the consequences could be. Yusuke smirked at the recent memory of when Ayame appeared and nearly kicked Kouga's ass, yet it was that same night that they were attacked by an enemy force sent by Naraku and Yakumo, to try and find the weaknesses of all the new comers that were coming after the two of them, they would attempt to kill them anyway, even if they didn't know Yusuke and his friends and allies weaknesses.

Flashback

Ayame had been searching for Kouga for about a week now, since he left her trapped in a cave with just enough air for him to get away before she got out. When she had gotten out, he had been smart enough to double back at least half a dozen times in all different directions, leaving her confused on where he had gone to. It was by pure dumb luck that she chose the right path and had found Kouga's trail. When she came to a clearing she could definitely smell blood and fear, along with Kagome and her fox kit, but there was also another unfamiliar scent too. Walking around the clearing she found that Kouga had indeed been here and that Kagome had mated with somebody, but she couldn't tell because of how old it was. But she was able to make out Kagome's scent, because she was the only one that was human. Growling to herself she got back onto Kouga's trail which led to a very large palace that looked like it had seen recent battle.

'Kouga if I find out you mated with that human bitch, I'll kill her and you!' thought Ayame as she found a sign that told her whose palace it was. 'SHIT!'

The palace belonged to Sesshomaru, Lord of the Western Lands. She decided to high tail it out of there before he returned and she was blamed for the damage to his palace. Running quickly on Kouga's scent trail she found herself at a very large cliff. Not being able to stop in time she flew off it and fell a few thousand feet. Too far for even her to survive without some broken limbs, but as luck would have it, she landed on an Eagle Youkai which cushioned her landing, but it hadn't been fortunate enough to survive. So she had her dinner for the night and wasn't going to waste it either.

'Kouga, you're mine! You promised me and I'm holding you to that promise!' thought Ayame. 'Plus I love you Kouga, why can't you see that? Why is your own lust for that human blinding you from this knowledge? You tell me it's just simple crush I'll get over or that it's just my lust for you, but I know it's more than that, I just know it is.'

That night Ayame had cried herself to sleep and the next morning when she awoke she heard voices. Fearing it might be wolf hunters, she hid herself. When they came into view she saw that it was a Kitsune, but not just any Kitsune, it was a Silver Kitsune! Walking next to him was even more shocking, a female Ice Koorime and a male Ice Koorime! This was quite a rare sight, but after they had passed she saw the Taijiya that usually accompanies Inuyasha and Kagome. What shocked her most though was that Ayame could smell that she was taken, not by a human though, but by a Youkai. She had mated with a Youkai, but not any Youkai. She had mated with a Youkai hanyou, a Fire and Ice Koorime type, but there was also something else by the way the Youkai hanyou carried himself, as if wielding great power. Next she saw Inuyasha himself and Sesshomaru, Lord of the Western Lands, whom terrified her at the moment, enough so that she froze and did not even breathe as he passed by. Next were Kagome, a strange Youkai she didn't recognize, but looked quite human, and Kouga, himself. Growling she jumped out of her hiding spot and attacked Kagome out of blind jealousy and rage.

-

Kagome had been able to dodge at that last second, but Ayame quickly turned and charged her. Unable to control herself and her blind rage and jealousy she swiped at Kagome with her claws, just barely missing her. Her next swipe got her abdomen, it as a shallow cut, but it was enough to send Yusuke off the deep end and slam Ayame against a tree rather forcefully, knocking her unconscious.

-

The last thing Ayame remembered was shallowly cutting Kagome at the abdomen, then something large, heavy, powerful, and built like a ton of bricks slamming her against a tree forcefully, knocking her out. When she awoke she saw that her torso was heavily bandaged and that she felt like she had been thrown off a cliff and hit solid rock at least a hundred times with all being unsuccessful landings. Moaning aloud in pain she saw Kagome come over to her and her blind rage and jealousy started to flare up again, until she saw the one who had slammed her into the tree.

"Don't even think about she wolf!" said Yusuke angrily.

"Ayame, why did you attack me?" asked Kagome.

"I don't remember exactly, I just remember feeling incredibly angry and jealous towards you. The next thing I know I had cut your abdomen shallowly and was being slammed against a tree by him," said Ayame as she pointed to Yusuke.

"Does this have anything to do with Kouga?" asked Kagome.

"Yeah, I found a clearing, near a palace that looked like it had been attacked, and well I was able to pick up your mating scent and Kouga's was near it. I guess I jumped to conclusions," said Ayame shamefully.

"You thought Kouga and I mated?" asked Kagome holding back her laughter.

"Yes," said Ayame as Kagome couldn't hold it in anymore and started giggling like a crazed school girl. "You don't have to laugh and rub it in my face."

"Sorry, it's just that I never mated with Kouga, Ayame. I'll admit I've considered his offer on numerous occasions, but never accepted it fully. Kouga is just a friend and nothing else, he is yours as far as I'm concerned," said Kagome.

"Really!" said Ayame happily as Kagome nodded. "Sorry about attacking you and cutting you Kagome."

"It's alright, I'm sure if I had been in your position I would have done the same or something similar. The fact is Ayame that I did mate with someone, but it was Yusuke here," said Kagome as Yusuke wrapped his arms around her protectively and a bit possessively as Kouga walked in and saw this, silently swearing at a chance not to flirt with Kagome. "As you can tell, Yusuke is very protective and possessive of me, not that I don't mind. I love him and Kouga if you ever attempt to flirt with me again, I'll tell Yusuke here and let him have his way with you, is that understood!"

Ayame watched as Kouga paled and nodded as Kagome smiled and offered her hand to Ayame in friendship. Ayame accepted it and apologized again to Kagome and then she apologized to Yusuke for hurting Kagome.

"Just don't do it again," said Yusuke as he smirked at her eyeing her attire at the present moment, earning a playful punch from Kagome. "Get dressed or I might just have to shoot myself."

Ayame returned his smirk and winked to Kagome as she approached him, only to have her arm twisted onto her back, with Yusuke shaking his head as he let her go.

"Don't even think about it. I've forgiven you for hurting Kagome, but I have no quarrels with killing Youkai, even if they are her friends," said Yusuke as Ayame nodded and started to back away as Yusuke walked passed and whispered to her that it was a joke.

Ayame could only stare after him, because of his little joke on her. Turning she saw Kouga trying to court the female Ice Koorime now. She knew that he had been eyeing her, but she also knew she wasn't interested in him beyond friendship. Getting dressed she went and dragged Kouga by the ear back to the camp and proceeded to punch and kick him rapidly. Everyone watched as she tied Kouga up very tightly and reinforced it with a sharp spike that was positioned just right. If Kouga attempted to escape, it would tear of his lower garment, leaving everyone to see him. It would be very embarrassing, one that Kouga might not ever get over. Ayame pummeled him for a few hours, before untying him and removing the spike, after everyone had moved ahead of them to a larger clearing, only to be slapped across the face by Kouga.

"BITCH!" roared Kouga extremely angry. "DON'T EVER DO THAT TO ME AGAIN, YOU HEAR ME BITCH! DON'T DO THAT TO ME AGAIN!"

Kouga's temper had gotten the best of him so much that he had beaten Ayame to a bleeding pulp. Knowing this in the back of his mind, he kept on hurting her, even after she started whimpering, crying, and screaming at him to stop.

"THIS IS WHAT YOU GET BITCH, THIS IS WHAT YOU GET FOR HUMILIATING ME LIKE THAT! YOU DESERVE THIS BITCH, EVERY BIT OF IT, I HATE YOU! I HATE EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU! I WILL NEVER BE YOURS BITCH, I WILL DIE BEFORE THAT HAPPENS!" said Kouga in a half blood thirsty rage and a half humiliated rage as he continued to beat Ayame to a bloody pulp.

-

It was when Yusuke came back to where they left Kouga and Ayame, at Kagome's request, to get them for dinner that he saw what Kouga was doing to Ayame in his rage. Yelling in pure anger and venom he charged Kouga, like a football player does, and slammed his shoulder into Kouga's gut, driving him extremely hard into the same tree he had slammed Ayame into. However this time he didn't stop there as he began to brutally beat Kouga, until the tree snapped under the pressure of Kouga's body slamming against again and again, along with Yusuke's punches. When some of the others got into the clearing they saw Kouga lying at the base of the now broken tree bleeding as Yusuke picked Ayame up and began to carry her. Gazing at Ayame's still form was enough to tell them what had happened. It wasn't Yusuke's doing that had Ayame in such a fragile and dangerous condition, for they knew Yusuke would have left much larger bruise marks and dealt mainly with his fists. This was Kouga's doing and Yusuke had walked in on him doing it to her, so he paid Kouga back in full, plus quite a bit extra too.

"Kagome, Yukina!" yelled Yusuke as they came running to see what the problem was. However when they saw Ayame's condition, they immediately knew what happened.

"How could Kouga do this to her?" asked Kagome as she started crying in fear that Ayame might die.

"Can either of you help her?" asked Yusuke his voice filled with raw worry for the she wolf that had quickly become like a sister to him, at least in his opinion.

"We'll do what we can, but first we have to clean her physical wounds. Get Kurama and Shippo to gather as many healing herbs as they can as fast as they can!" said Kagome as Yusuke nodded and told Shippo right away and found Kurama already working on it.

"Inuyasha," said Yusuke as Inuyasha came back from his scouting up ahead.

"Is something wrong? Kouga get his tail broken or something?" asked Inuyasha smugly, but when he saw the despair on Yusuke's face he knew something bad had happened. "What the hell did that damn wolf do now!"

"It's Ayame, he beat her badly, when I was able to knock Kouga out, her breathing had become rough and faint. He nearly killed her!" said Yusuke as he started to cry in anger, but mostly in concern for Ayame.

"Why is she affecting you like this? You already have a mate, do you want her as one as well?" asked Inuyasha as he received a hard right hook from Yusuke, but instead of being angry he knew he had misspoken his question as realization hit him, hard. "Oh! You love her, but the way sibling's love each other. You really are strange, even for a hanyou. You adopt a Kitsune kit as your son, now you feel a bond to Ayame. But in a sibling type way, why I'll never understand, but it's tearing you up inside, right?"

Yusuke just nodded mutely as Sesshomaru approached the two. Watching Yusuke cry was strange, even with how powerful he was and how he took pride in what he was, a hanyou, though he was not any hanyou, he was a Toushin hanyou. He still embraced his human side though, along with his Youkai side. He knew that it was Yusuke who would bring humans and Youkai into harmony with one another, showing that it was possible for the two coexist together as equals.

"Inuyasha, you don't understand, because you were born a hanyou, you were born with both Youkai and human blood active. Your Youkai blood was suppressed and temporarily dormant, enough so that you could survive. He was not born such a way. He has none of the weaknesses you have. Tonight is the New Moon. We will stay here tonight and set out in the morning," said Sesshomaru, leaving no room for argument as he walked away.

"I know why, I've never had any siblings, none that I know of anyway. My mother and father are dead, the one I loved betrayed me… then I met Kagome. I fell for her instantly, I knew she was the one, but my heart wasn't totally complete. When I met Ayame, I knew she was special, she isn't like other Wolf Youkai, no, she has a free spirit and wants to help, just like Kagome. I originally thought the only reason I was here was too kill Naraku and destroy whatever way he was using to get to my time, but all that's changed now. I found Kagome, we forgave one another and ended up mates… then I met Ayame and knew she was like me and Kagome combined, dangerous yet friendly," said Yusuke as he walked off to rest.

-

Hours Later

Night had fallen and it was the night of the New Moon, which meant Inuyasha was in hiding, not wanting anybody to see him in his current state. Kagome, Yukina, and Kurama were doing their best to keep Ayame in a stabile condition, but it was difficult, seeing as she seemed to have lost the will to live. Kouga was left to heal himself, being ignored by the others. They all made it clear that they were not likely to forgive him as easily as Ayame, not only does he attempt to break a promise, but when reminded of it, claims to have never made such a promise and/or claims not to remember ever making such a promise. What made it worse was that Kouga wasn't even really injured from Ayame's playful, though one sided, fight with him, if anything he just a few small bruises. She was merely trying to impress him and show him how strong she was in hopes he would try and court her or even for him to just take her as his mate right then and there. Instead when she moved the spike away and untied him, he started to beat her to the verge of death.

'Stupid Ayame, that little bitch humiliated me! I don't care who she is or how strong she is, I don't want her as my mate! She got what she deserved, though I did get a bit carried away, maybe when she's better I should… no! She got what was coming to her, but still I can't help but feel so guilty,' thought Kouga as he knew he would have a lot of work to do to earn back everyone's trust, that's when he heard and smelled them, many Youkai of different kinds, but all had the stench of Naraku and miasma.

Quickly getting to his feet he ran towards the camp and saw everyone engaged in battle with powerful Youkai that ganged up on each of their opponents. Kouga saw that Kagome was busy fighting a Youkai that had tried to get her and Yukina, when Yoko went to help fend the Youkai off. He saw a second Youkai attack Yukina and knock her unconscious and then move towards Ayame. Without thinking he charged the Youkai, surprising it just for a moment, which was all the time he needed to send the Youkai flying into a nearby tree, impaling it there. Turning around he landed his anger take hold again, however this time he directed it at the attacking Youkai.

-

Yusuke was surprised at the sheer number of Youkai attacking them. He knew Yakumo had many servants and minions under his command, but half of the Youkai they were fighting, didn't have the symbol of the Mekai on their foreheads. That's what unnerved him, that Naraku could have so many under his command, added to his incarnations it made him a much more dangerous enemy than they may have originally thought. Blasting another few dozen Youkai with his Shotgun technique he turned and slugged another into a tree, causing its head to get stuck and then removed when the tree fell over. He could sense hundreds more Youkai coming at them, all ready to try and kill them. Concentrating his reiki into his index right arm he saw that the ones attacking him were his own kind, the ones that history said pledged themselves to a Youkai that guaranteed them power to be unstoppable.

"TRAITOR'S!" roared Yusuke, as the Toushin that were going to kill him stopped and saw Yusuke as his reiki and youki flared angrily around him.

"We are not traitor's boy! We have joined a Youkai that promises our races survival in the new order that will come when his enemies are gone. Join us and be apart of this glorious new order that shall come!" said a Toushin, clearly the leader of the group. "Don't be a fool like Raizen and stay to your own lands and risk death!"

"Nobody talks about my father like that!" roared Yusuke as they all paled realizing their mistake and immediately regretting it their choice. "Spirit Wave!"

The blast incinerated them and Yusuke rushed into the remaining Toushin blindly and began punching and head butting mindlessly.

­-

Kurama was having a difficult time dealing with all Kitsune that had decided to gang up on him. He was fighting a lot of Onyx Kitsune, which annoyed him greatly as they kept casting illusions to hide themselves from him. Deciding to do something drastic he pulled out the seeds of the Shokuyo Shokubutsu (Death Tree), the Shimaneki Sou (Death Seeds). Casting them out around him in a wide circle he knew they would react to the youki being used to cast the illusions. In a matter of minutes he could hear the screams of the Onyx Kitsune as they were viciously and unmercifully attacked by the Shimaneki Sou (Death Seeds) in full bloom as the Shokuyo Shokubutsu (Death Tree).

One Onyx Kitsune managed to escape with his life and try and attack him, only to be grabbed by the throat. "Why? Why have you gone against your own kind?" asked the Onyx Kitsune. "You are a traitor!"

"You are not my kind Onyx Kitsune! I am a Silver Kitsune, but not just any Silver Kitsune, but I am Yoko Kurama," said Kurama calmly as the Onyx Kitsune's eyes widened as he was cast back to the feeding frenzy of the Death Tree's. "Such a pity, he was actually the only one to nearly get me."

Kurama walked quickly on the only open path through the Death Tree's, where he was confronted by a Green Kitsune.

"I presume you are Shin?" asked Kurama curiously.

"I am. I presume you are Kurama?" asked Shin.

"I am. Shall we get this over with?" replied Kurama.

"Let's," agreed Shin.

The two began fighting one another with a duel of the whips, Kurama with his Rose Whip and Shin with his Tulip Whip.

(A/N: I claim all rights to the Tulip Whip!)

"Impressive Kurama, the rumors about you are true, but I had thought you to look like a true Silver Kitsune, not a human," said Shin calmly.

"Oh? Then would you like to see a form I have never used before? I warn you the Yoko of this time is the Makai. I am what he will become. You won't die now, no, you are too cautious and strong for that, no you will die when we fight your masters, Naraku and Yakumo," said Kurama as Kurama found his whip ripped from his grasp. "But then again, perhaps I am the one mistaken this time around. I have a final attack for you."

Kurama picked up a pebble and threw it at him, which hit him squarely in the chest, causing Shin to laugh crazily.

"Is that it? A pebble? Now you die," said Shin, but found his body was frozen stiff, he couldn't move a muscle. "What has happened to me!"

"I have sown the seed of the Death Plant in you," replied Kurama casually. "I was mistaken after all, you die now."

When Kurama finished speaking the plant bloomed, leaving Shin to die as the Death Tree's that had grown exponentially larger since digesting the Onyx Kitsune could smell Shin's blood. Kurama heard him scream in terror as the Death Tree's tore him limb from limb, deciding to waste no more time he started to run towards where Kagome and Yukina were healing Ayame only to see Kouga there sending Youkai flying left and right, however one managed to tackle him against the tree and others soon pinned him against it and were forcing him to watch as they moved towards Ayame for the kill. Kurama knowing he couldn't get to them in time could only watch in horror.

-

"AYAME!" screamed Kouga as the traitorous Wolf Youkai walked towards her unconscious and wounded body.

"Now, you shall witness as I take her as my mate and you will only be able to watch," said the Wolf Youkai as he began to remove Ayame's covers and the clothing left on her.

"NO!" roared Kouga as ripped free of the Youkai holding him prisoner and charged the Wolf Youkai who stopped to see the look on Kouga's face, only to have Kouga's foot come up and connect with his nose, breaking it and sending him flying. "ANYBODY TRIES AND COMES NEAR MY MATE AND HARM HER WILL DIE!"

-

Hiei was running through the hoards of Youkai, slicing and dicing them as he went, taking as many with him as he could before his sword would break in half. He stopped in his tracks when he saw a Youkai in front of him bearing a very large katana, Hiei knew this was the fabled Fire Koorime known as Firestorm.

"Firestorm," said Hiei as the Youkai nodded and his katana became surrounded in flames and struck Hiei's katana shattering it in half.

"Your weapon is gone, surrender while you still can," said Firestorm.

"Hn. If you thought my katana is useless then you are a fool!" said Hiei as he ripped off his cloak and headband, revealing his Jagan Eye.

"I see you have a Jagan Eye, very well this makes things a little more interesting. But you are still no match for my power!" said Firestorm as he used his youki to summon a blaze of fire to surround him and heal him of all wounds and make him stronger. "Your pitiful attacks with fire won't work against me! They will only strengthen me!"

"Who said anything about using that type of fire against you?" asked Hiei smirking removing the ward bandages on his right arm and revealing his black dragon tattoo.

"WHAT?" shouted Firestorm angry and confused at the same time.

"Sword of the Darkness Flame!" yelled Hiei as the Dragon of the Darkness Flame merged with his broken katana.

Firestorm stood in amazement and shock at what had just transpired. The fabled Dragon of the Darkness Flame had been summoned and merged into a sword to create the Sword of the Darkness Flame. Hiei struck multiple times while Firestorm attempted to block, but was left with a severe cut on his arms until he adjusted to the swords heat, leaving little more than scratches behind on his arms.

"I told you it wouldn't work," said Firestorm as he doubled over, cursing himself for letting his guard down, even for a moment, as Hiei had plunged the sword inside of his stomach and let the flames incinerate his vital organs.

"I guess you were wrong," said Hiei as he summoned the dragon again and unleashed it upon the remaining Youkai, which was well over a hundred, incinerating every last one of them.

After the dragon returned to its dormant state as a tattoo on Hiei's right arm he ran off towards the camp to see if his mate was there and okay. When he arrived he saw Kouga near Ayame and was about to go get the wolf away from her, but one look at Kurama told him not to. He saw as Kouga wept above Ayame's body for what he had done to her and how he was receiving thanks from Kagome and Yukina for saving their lives.

-

Yusuke returned to the camp and rushed to Kagome's side to see if she was alright and to check on Ayame. He saw that Kouga was being very possessive of Ayame and who he let near her, which was fine by him. He had heard Kouga's yelling and was able to catch a quick flash of Kouga kicking the Wolf Youkai, who had attempted to claim Ayame, in the nose, breaking it and sending him flying into the cliff wall only to be crushed by a small avalanche of boulders falling on top of him.

He watched as Miroku and Botan who had been guarding Inuyasha in his hide out came back to camp with Inuyasha hiding behind them, still uncertain that it was truly safe. He noticed Sango come limping into camp and Hiei rush to her side, while Kurama sat down and started to rest. Touya came a few moments later with a cut on his right arm, which he held to his side. It seemed everyone was in bad shape. Shippo himself came back into camp last holding his hand which had a nasty cut on it, with Sesshomaru walking behind him with his eyes darting left and right quickly.

"Well, let's get some rest," said Yusuke as he and Kagome went to the area they would rest in for the night, along with Shippo.

Two Days Later

They had stayed at the same campsite they had been attacked at recovering from their last battle two nights earlier. They had been attacked by hundreds of Youkai of all different types. Ayame's condition had approved to the point she had woken up that morning and Kouga had been almost constantly apologizing to her for his actions and practically begging for forgiveness at his stupidity and rage. It was strange seeing Kouga begging for forgiveness, when only a few days earlier he had been trying everything to avoid her.

"I'll forgive you Kouga," said Ayame sweetly as Yusuke came up behind them and Kouga growled warningly only to be grabbed and thrown away from her.

"Don't growl at me Kouga! Her bandages need to be changed!" said Yusuke as he shoved Kouga back against a tree. "Now be a good wolf and stay put!"

Kouga did as he was told as Yusuke went back to guarding the make shift tent that was used for privacy when changing Ayame's bandages. He growled at Yusuke again and received the finger in response, confusing him as to its meaning. Hiei and Kurama laughed at this, since they understood its meaning.

"He can come back in now Yusuke," said Kagome.

"Not just yet, I'm enjoying watching the look of confusion on his face," said Yusuke as Kagome looked at Kouga and chuckled.

"What did you do?" asked Kagome.

"He growled at me after I told him not to, so I gave him them finger," said Yusuke as Kagome started giggling understanding now. "Besides I want to talk with Ayame."

Kagome nodded and told Yukina to go check on the others, especially Kurama. Yukina hurriedly rushed to Kurama's side to see if he was alright. Yusuke entered the makeshift tent and watched as Ayame growled quietly at him.

"Don't growl at me Ayame," said Yusuke as she stopped instantly. "I'll get straight to the point. What do you feel for Kouga, even after what he did to you? If you don't want him around you, then I'll make sure that happens. I consider you my sister, Ayame."

Ayame looked at him and saw that he was dead serious and replied, "I still love him. I still love Kouga. I did get a bit carried away with what I did to Kouga, I know. When I woke up originally was going to stay away from him and find someone else. But after Kagome and Yukina explained that it was Kouga that saved me from being raped a few nights ago, I couldn't hold it against him."

"I see. Don't be afraid to come to anyone of us to talk. We were more than ready to kill Kouga a few days ago, because of what he did to you. All of us very powerful and the only reason Kouga is so strong is because of the Jewel Shards he has," said Yusuke as Ayame nodded in understanding. "WOLF GET OVER HERE, NOW!"

-

Kouga came running in an instant only to get close lined by Yusuke. Kouga got up off his back and looked around a bit dizzy.

"Next time walk," said Yusuke as he left to spend some 'quality time' with Kagome.

Kouga himself was still sore with Yusuke for besting him, without Jewel Shards. But when he entered into the makeshift tent, he saw Ayame watching him. He also noticed the dagger left with her, encase he tried anything.

"Ayame…"

"Shut up Kouga!" snapped Ayame angrily. "I don't want to hear anymore apologies from you! All you have done is, apologize to me and I'm sick of it!"

"But Ayame…"

"I said shut up! I've already forgiven you, for what you did and I realize I hurt your pride very badly. However even after what you've done to me, I can't bring myself to hate you. I still love you Kouga," said Ayame as she kissed him, surprising him greatly.

"…"

Kouga was speechless after Ayame broke the kiss and watched his reaction. He just grinned devilishly at her and returned the kiss. For most of that whole morning and afternoon the makeshift tent was occupied by Kouga and Ayame only.

-

That night around the campfire they began to make plans for their attack against Naraku and Yakumo in their valley hideout and fortress.

End Flashback

"Alright does everybody remember what they have to do?" asked Yusuke as everyone nodded. "Good we move out tomorrow morning and bring Naraku and Yakumo down once and for all."

That night seeing as how it might be their last they exchanged stories of humor, sadness, anger, and just plain mysteries of their experiences.

"I'm telling you Kouga, in my time all Youkai have been forced into the Makai. There are the lucky few who escaped being forced their or escaped into the Ningenkai. It was my job to track down and eliminate the Youkai that proved to be a danger against the Reikai and Ningenkai. It was originally just me and Botan, but then the traitor Kuwabaka got dragged into it. Originally I had to track down and arrest or kill Kurama and Hiei, along with one other whom I killed. They had broken into King Enma's Maximum Security Vault, like it was nothing. I was lucky to not have to fight Kurama, actually now that I think about it, I've never had to fight Kurama," said Yusuke as everyone looked at him in disbelief, except Kurama, Botan, and Hiei.

"It's true, Yusuke never had to fight me. However he did fight Hiei and used the Forlorn Hope's glass surface like a mirror, hitting Hiei in the back after I had been incapacitated fighting Hiei. The blast shattered the Forlorn Hope's glass surface those, causing Koenma to get at least ten thousand spankings for it. Along with the Shadow Sword having blood on it," said Kurama remembering what Yusuke told him.

"Yeah, that was fun, though I finally got to do something I always wanted to do, before I died a second time," said Yusuke.

"What's that?" asked Sango curiously.

"Punch Koenma," replied Yusuke as everyone, but Sesshomaru, who just smirked, started laughing at his reply. "Though, I still say I got beat up worse within a three month period and Grandma's Evil Boot Camp."

"Your grandmother was evil and had a boot camp?" asked Shippo confused.

"No, it's just what I called it, because I was inexperienced and it was torture training there. My first three months, I had to sleep with snakes, hold myself over a spike with my Reiki, climb mountains with chained shackles connected to iron balls, and what else was there?" said Yusuke as everyone just stared at him. "What? It's true, you could even ask Genkai."

"I believe you Yusuke," said Kagome as she snuggled up to him.

"At least somebody does," muttered Yusuke as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Maybe, but tell me Yusuke, what was it like receiving the Spirit Wave from Genkai?" asked Kurama curiously.

"Excruciating, she all her power in the form of the Spirit Wave Orb. It had to adjust to my body before I could fully inherit her powers. The orb was tearing me apart from the inside out, it was the most excruciating pain, I've ever felt, worse than what Sensui did to me," said Yusuke as Hiei and Kurama both flinched at the memory of Yusuke's battered form as he fought Sensui. "The worst part was that I had a chance to end my misery and give the orb back to Genkai. But my pride and anger wouldn't let me, plus the fact that I worked so damn hard to get to that point I refused to give it back. Around the end I decided to give up on the damn orb and just get me and Puu out of there. I smashed right through boulders just to get us to safety. That's when the orb fully integrated with my body becoming one with me. It hurt like hell and I never want to go through that again."

Kagome was now crying softly into his shoulder when he finished the small tale. It wasn't the story itself that got to her, but the emotions behind it. The utter agony he must have gone through and the love she felt for him was only strengthened with his resolve to make his loved ones safe and happy, even if it meant his own death or torture.

"Shh, it's okay Kagome," said Yusuke soothing her as she just snuggled deeper into his arms and laid back against his chest intending to stay there all night as she dozed off. "She really is something special, I've never met anyone like her."

Everybody just nodded in agreement as all went to get some rest for the next day. The next day would be the final showdown with Naraku and hopefully Yakumo as well.

The Next Morning

Everybody was up and about cooking possibly their last meal together and making sure that they were in healthy enough condition to fight against hoards of Youkai. When everyone finished eating they made their way to their respective areas as Yusuke, Kagome, and Inuyasha went straight towards the heart of the valley, intending on wiping out as many Youkai as possible before the others arrived.

"Well this is it," said Kagome softly.

"Yeah, if we survive this, then when we go back home, your going to get trained by Genkai," said Yusuke as Kagome just smiled at him understanding. "Inuyasha you ready to go kick Naraku's ass once and for all?"

"I've been ready for over four years now," said Inuyasha smirking. "Let's go kick some Youkai ass."

So the three walked cautiously through the miasma misted trails that led to the miasma misted fields, which is where Naraku's fortress was standing. It was eerily quite and scarce as they reached the canyon floor. They saw the remains of those who had dared venture into the valley, all that remained were their skeletons in all types of positions. Kagome was blue in the face at seeing all the skeletons, while Inuyasha and Yusuke were just plain disgusted. They finally came upon the gates of the castle, Yusuke and Inuyasha forcing the gates open only to be met with Naraku waiting for them right ahead of them.

"I'm surprised you made it this far," said Naraku tauntingly.

"Yeah, well ya got lousy defenses," said Yusuke sarcastically.

"Maybe, but do you really think I will die this time around for good? I won't, I have infused myself to the body of one of my servants or victims," said Naraku as Yusuke glared at him angrily.

"Damn you Naraku! You would defile my mother like that!" sneered Yusuke.

"Oh, no, women are such fragile and weak creatures. No, I infused myself onto Sango's dear brother. My victims all die to fast, because of the miasma, however you would be a nice selection to join me in my body," said Naraku as one of his arms suddenly disintegrated into ashes.

"Go to hell Naraku," said Yusuke as he lowered his right arm. "You really think I give a damn about getting stronger? No, I came back to this damn time to kill your sorry ass."

"My, my, such foul language, what would your mother think of you, if she heard you talking like that?" asked Naraku as his other was blasted off.

"Don't you ever talk about my mother you damn bastard!" said Yusuke as Kagome and Inuyasha saw the rage in his eyes. "You killed her, when you couldn't get to me."

"True, enough, however who do you think helped orchestrate the Reikan/Youkai War? I did, it should be happening any day now," said Naraku.

"Maybe, but guess what? We've left the Reikan's with some advice to think on regarding Enma," said Yusuke with a smirk as Naraku scowled at him venomously.

"Your insolent meddling has cost me the chance to survive the war!" said Naraku.

"You know, I guess our right about one thing," said Yusuke.

"And what would that be fool!" snapped Naraku.

"It is going to cost you," said Yusuke with a smirk as he shot Naraku's left leg off. "It's going to cost you your life."

Inuyasha unsheathed Tetsaiga at this comment and brought it down upon Naraku, cutting off his right leg, completely incapacitating Naraku. Or so they thought, until he started to move around, using his hair.

"NARAKU CATCH!" yelled Kagome as she fired an arrow at him, catching him off guard and by surprise as it struck his hair and disintegrated part of it. "Here's another present for!"

Kagome threw a small sticky bomb at Naraku's face, which exploded upon contact blinding him. Kagome smirked and threw another at his face again, this one landing in his mouth and exploding, causing him to yell, but it came out muffled.

"Nice one Kagome," said Yusuke.

"Why thank you Yusuke," said Kagome.

"Did you really think I would be defeated that easily?" asked another Naraku as he struck down the first, revealing it to be a copy. "I have seen what you are capable of now and I will defeat you easily."

"Do not be so arrogant young one," said another Youkai stepping into view behind Naraku, causing Naraku to scowl at him. "Well we meet again human."

"Yakumo!" hissed Yusuke.

"You remember, how flattering, but I'm afraid this time you won't defeat me. For you see I have the Power Sphere in my possession once more. Or rather most of it, now hand over your shards!" said Yakumo suddenly angry.

"You know Yakumo, I would have stayed dead, until I was quite a bit older and weaker. I'm in my prime right now and I'll be in it for another few hundred years!" said Yusuke as charged Yakumo and ended up slugging Naraku in the nose breaking it.

"Thank you young one," said Yakumo releasing Naraku. "Be gone, this one is mine."

"No! He will be apart of me as we agreed!" said Naraku angrily.

"You dare defy me! THE LORD OF THE MEKAI!" roared Yakumo angrily as he unleashed his fury upon Naraku injuring him greatly. "GO! TAKE CARE OF THE OTHERS, THIS ONE IS MINE!"

While the two had been arguing Yusuke and been clever enough to switch the real jewel with a fake one that held a faint energy to it. He tossed it to Kagome where it was purified upon her touching it, leaving only a few shards left to go.

"You know Yakumo, how about this, you surrender and go back into exile. Or we can do this the hard way and you die, how about that?" asked Yusuke smugly.

"Insolent pest, did you learn nothing upon our first meeting? I am more powerful than you are! I am a Youkai Lord!" said Yakumo.

"Yeah, well so am I! I am Lord Roizen of the Northern Lands! I am Lord Yusuke Urameshi of the Northern Lands and you are an asshole!" said Yusuke as he slugged Yakumo in the right cheek hard enough to send him flying into the ground. "Oh and Naraku, don't try and run."

"Why would I run? I now have the perfect opportunity to absorb you! While you have been wasting your energy with the copy and him, my Miasma has been draining you of your Youki. Soon you will have only enough to survive on and become apart of me!" laughed Naraku manically as he advanced on Yusuke only to have small glowing ball in front of his face.

"You really are an idiot, you know that?" said Yusuke. "Spirit Gun!"

The blast took Naraku's head clean off, but his body was still alive as a second head sprouted from his chest.

"You must destroy all of me, before I will die so easily," said Naraku as he grabbed Yusuke and started to absorb him.

"Rose Whip!" yelled Yoko slashing one of Naraku's hands off. "Let him go!"

Naraku found himself surrounded on all sides and started to laugh as he summoned the miasma to him, forcing them to cover their mouths and faces.

"How did you get through the defenses?" asked Naraku.

Flashback

Yoko and his team fought their way through hoards of Ice Youkai and Kitsune's of all different kinds, until they came upon three who stood above all the rest of them.

"Welcome Yoko, Yukina, Touya, Shippo, welcome to your demise," said the Ice Kitsune.

"Artica!" hissed Yoko. (A/N: Ahr-tee-cuh.)

"I'm please you remember me Yoko, it has been nearly five hundred years since we last saw each other," said Artica. "These two are Icera and Yukina's own mother resurrected Hina. They have sworn their allegiances to Naraku and Lord Yakumo. Can you kill us?"

"Yukina's mother would never do that! She was a kind gentle Ice Koorime!" said Kurama angrily as the disguise faded and revealed a hybrid Kitsune of Black and White. "A Black Snow Kitsune!"

"Yes, but her name really is Hina," said Artica as the battle begun and they started attacking each other. "I've missed you Yoko Kurama."

"Bitch!" replied Yoko heatedly.

-

"I demand to know why you disgrace my mothers name like this!" said Yukina angrily.

"Your mother, stole that Fire Koorime from me, this is payback, by killing her daughter!" said Hina as she attacked Yukina only to find herself on the ground, having slipped on a patch of ice Yukina had made. "Clever, catch me off guard like that again and you may be able to defeat me."

Hina grabbed Yukina by the neck and slowly began chocking the life out of her.

-

Touya himself was quite busy with Icera (I-see-nah) as he was forced onto the defense as he blocked and dodged incredibly fast attacks from the Kitsune.

"You're very good for a Light Ice Kitsune," said Touya.

"Why thank you, but please one of us has to die. I would prefer it be you, unless you swear yourself as my slave," said Icena.

"Never!" spat Touya as he ducked under her swing and stabbed her with his Ice Sword. "Go to hell, bitch!"

Touya pushed her off the side of the cliff, but she grabbed his leg, dragging him with her over the cliff. The two continued to fight one another as they fell.

-

Yoko had beaten Artica at her own game trapping her within the Janen Ju (Evil Thoughts Tree). She would be trapped there forever, slowly dieing, forever top be tormented by nightmares. Turning he saw Yukina take a very sharp rock and slash the one using Yukina's own mother's name. Using his Rose Whip he caught the Kitsune by the neck and tugged back hard, driving the thorns into her neck and causing her to loose here footing and fall off the cliff just as he finished tying the other end of his whip to a tree. There hung the Kitsune that had used the name Hina against Yukina. The Kitsune hung there for all to see clearly dead hanging by her throat.

"Come Yukina, we must find Touya," said Yoko.

-

Elsewhere, Kouga and Ayame fought many Coyote Youkai, some strong, some weak, until they came upon their leader.

"Welcome Kouga, Ayame, I'm sure you know who I am," said the Coyote Youkai leader.

"I know who you are!" snapped Kouga angrily. "You're Saberteeth, the Coyote Youkai Leader. You've killed many Wolf Youkai!"

"Yes, now you two shall join that list!" said Saberteeth as he removed his armor, which revealed his gigantic muscles, as he slammed his fist into the ground, causing it to crack up and collapse. "DIE!"

"You first ugly!" yelled Kouga and Ayame in unison, as they ran over the collapsing ground as fast as they could. "Take this!"

The two had jumped in the air and both landed a solid kick to his face, causing him to cover one eye as Ayame threw dirt into it.

"MY EYE!" yelled Saberteeth as he swatted Ayame away into a nearby rock, her hitting her head and falling unconscious.

"Ayame!" yelled Kouga as Saberteeth moved in his way.

"You have more pressing matters, than that wench!" said Saberteeth as Kouga growled at him and charged him.

When Kouga got close enough he started to rapidly kick him in the chest and legs. Soon enough Saberteeth had backed way to the cliff near where Ayame was lying. Kouga sent a powerful kick into the ground, causing it to split away.

"I WON'T GO ALONE FOOL!" yelled Saberteeth grabbing Ayame and throwing her off the cliff as well.

"Ayame!" yelled Kouga as he ran and jumped off the cliff, grabbing her body as the three fell down into the valley into almost certain doom.

"Kouga?" asked Ayame as she came too as they fell.

"Hey, I just want you to know, I love you Ayame," said Kouga as they kissed and broke it as he saw a small ledge that was close enough for one of them to get to. "Tell everyone I'll miss them, will you Ayame?"

"What are you saying Kouga?" asked Ayame confused and worried.

"I'm saying I'll see on the other side," said Kouga as he threw Ayame with all his strength onto the ledge as he continued to fall and eventually hit the valley floor.

"KOUGA!" yelled Ayame in despair.

-

Miroku and Botan had the easiest time getting through their enemies as they were all mainly Insect Youkai. When they came upon the leader of the group it was a Moth Youkai and a small one at that for the average size Moth Youkai.

"Welcome Monk, Reikan, welcome to your doom. I am Insecta," said the Moth Youkai.

"You're a woman!" asked Miroku shocked.

"Yes, Naraku thought you might try and seduce me, but it seems you have already down that with the Reikan. Oh, and don't bother with your Wind Tunnel, there is so much miasma in this area that you would only kill yourself," said Insecta.

"Hiya!" yelled Botan as she smacked Insecta upside the head with her oar fuming with anger and embarrassment. "Nobody makes fun of him! -**SMACK**- Nobody watches us make love to each other! -**SMACK**- AND NOBODY SAYS ANYBODY SEDUCED ME! -**SMACK**-"

(A/N: Bold is an action while speaking, or just a normal action such as a smack, while speaking it's within the dashes.)

Botan had been hitting Insecta so hard while she spoke that Insecta would not live through night with her injuries.

"…"

Miroku was speechless at what he just witnessed and made a mental note to try and stay on Botan's good side. He was about to move on when Botan grabbed him and kissed him fiercely and passionately, then breaking the kiss.

"Let's go," said Botan.

Miroku just nodded and followed behind her as they made their way down into the valley, hoping that this would be the last battle against Naraku.

-

Sesshomaru, Hiei, and Sango made their way carefully down the path into the valley, making sure that they weren't seen by any of the patrolling Youkai. However it wouldn't last forever as they were spotted by a Youkai who sounded the alarm, but also met a dismal being thrown of the path onto a one of the sharp rocks protruding from the ground that was used to try and intimidate people from coming into the valley. Soon they fought hoards of the remaining Youkai and when they finished with them the five remaining Generals or leaders of the Youkai stood in their path to Naraku.

"We are Gorin, Apeka, Saberclaw, Draken, and Reizen; together we are the strongest warriors of Lord Yakumo's armies. You don't stand a chance against a Gorilla Youkai, an Ape Youkai, a Tiger Youkai, a Dragon Youkai, or a Toushin Youkai," said Gorin arrogantly to the three of them.

(A/N: Gohr-rihn, Ape-kah, Dray-kehn, Ray-zehn.)

"Hn. Maybe not, but we will go down fighting if we must," said Sango as Hiei smirked, knowing he was rubbing off on her.

Sango chucked her huge boomerang at them only to have Gokin catch it and snap it in half and toss it away like it was nothing. Sesshomaru struck him with his whip, but surprisingly it had no effect on him.

"We told you this would be pointless," said Apeka as he jumped in the air and landed above them on the cliff wall. "You might as well surrender."

Hiei decided that the ape was getting on his nerves, so he quickly disappeared and reappeared in about a minute smirking. Every one of their enemies stared at him and then laughed at his behavior. That was until they saw Apeka fall down from his perch dead with his neck slit and multiple cuts all over his body.

"He was annoying, now who's next?" said Hiei.

Gorin roared in outrage and charged Hiei only to have Sango with one half of her broken giant boomerang get his path and slam the sharp edge down upon Gorin's skull. He just stood there stunned for a moment, before he fell backwards dead.

The next general managed to strike Sango, sending her flying into the cliff face, knocking the wind out of her and knocking her out. Sesshomaru was faring very well as he transformed and was able to take out Saberclaw with his poisonous breath and acid-like saliva. Turning his direction to Draken he was too late to block or dodge the incoming attack as it sent him flying off the cliff pathway to land with a loud thud on the ground below out cold.

"Well now little one, your speed won't help you here, nor will your sword," said Draken laughing as he advanced on Hiei only to find himself impaled with a sharp object protruding from his stomach. "Nice try little one, but it won't work."

"Who said that was supposed to kill you?" asked Hiei with a smirk as he revealed his bandaged arm not bandaged any longer. "The Sword of the Darkness Flame."

Draken's eyes widened in surprise as he fell back dead his internal organs all burnt beyond healing. Reizen only smiled and clapped as he stood up holding Sango by the hair. "You won't attack me, you won't risk your mate," said Reizen confidently.

"Bastard," snapped Hiei angrily as he sheathed his sword.

"That's a good little boy, now come over here, so I can kill you," said Reizen.

Hiei obeyed and walked over to him, but at the last second was able to cut Reizen's wrist, where a vein was. This caused him to drop Sango and grab his wrist as he glared murder at Hiei who only smirked revealing the dark flame in his right palm.

"You wouldn't dare, not so close to your own mate!" said Reizen.

"I would and I will!" said Hiei pushing Sango out of the way and unleashing his attack. "Dragon of the Darkness Flame!"

The dragon sprang to life and roared as it crashed into the cliff wall and then erupted out of the ground behind Reizen and encircled him, before crashing down upon Reizen. He screamed in agony and utter pain and horror as the dragon slowly devoured him, until there was nothing left but a smoking, blackened corpse.

"Let's go Hiei, we have to stop Naraku," said Sango but froze as she saw who was ahead of them. "Kohaku!"

Hiei turned and noticed the boy and the distant look in his eyes, knowing he was under Naraku's control and that part of Naraku was on the boy. Using his quick speed and the power of the Jagan Eye he was able to take down Kohaku before the boy had a chance to move. He ripped the essence of Naraku out of Kohaku using the power of the Jagan Eye, but it took its toll on him as he also freed the boy permanently from Naraku's control.

"Sango?" asked Kohaku as he broke down into tears as Sango rushed over and hugged him tightly. "I did it, didn't I?"

"No, it was Naraku, he was controlling you. Naraku killed everyone, he merely took control of your body," said Hiei. "Naraku left a piece of his essence in you, but it's gone now, you are free from Naraku's control and his lie's and deceitfulness."

"Thank you sir," said Kohaku gratefully.

"Yes, thank you Hiei," said Sango. "Kohaku, Hiei here is your brother in-law."

Kohaku looked at Sango then to Hiei and blushed at the thoughts that entered his mind, causing Hiei to smirk. They decided to keep moving towards the battle at Naraku's lair, picking Sesshomaru up on the way there, who changed back into his humanoid form. Making their way down a pathway cleared for easy travel to and from the castle they met up with Yoko, Yukina, and Shippo, along with Ayame, Botan, and Miroku. Forcing their way in they saw the remains of one of Naraku's copies and suspected that the current Naraku being fought was copy as well. However that was soon proved wrong by him trying to absorb Yusuke. They quickly surrounded Naraku, without his knowing until it was too late.

End Flashback

"I won't go down without a fight!" said Naraku transforming into his real form: a giant, uglier than Kuwabara (A/N: Is that even possible?), spider. "Now you die!"

-

A/N: I apologize to the author note right there in the middle of the short description of Naraku's true form, but it was necessary to put it right there. Now that's it for chapter seven and I apologize if the fight scenes aren't quite what you were expecting. I am asking everybody to help me out for those scenes and I'll go back and redo them. Now I'm also asking for help on the next fight scenes in chapter eight. I'm thinking about making this war with Naraku and Yakumo a chapter longer than I originally thought, but I'm going to all the help I can get if I do that instead of just two chapters.

Here are a few questions for everyone:

What should happen next in the battle against Naraku's real form?

Should someone else die? If so, who?

What did you think of this of this chapter?

That's all I can think of right now, but if you have any questions, just e-mail me at: or just leave it in the review.

Thanks to everybody who has reviewed, I'm trying really hard to get this to your liking.

Shadow Kage

* * *


	8. Confrontation IV: War's End

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. This time around I'm going to try and make it more in-depth on what the characters reactions are to everything that will or might happen in this chapter.

Chapter Eight: Confrontation IV: War's End

Yusuke looked on in surprise and disgust at what he saw. Sure he'd seen plenty of horrid, ugly, and just plain freaky looking things in his life since becoming a Tantei. But this took the cake, what he saw before filled him with so much disgust that he thought he might puke right then and there. However he held himself in semi-control seeing as how he had a job to do.

"You're even uglier than before Naraku," said Yusuke. "Since you say you won't go down without a fight, fine, let's see how well you handle against us."

"Fool," hissed Naraku. "You are all nearly completely drained of your youki! Only those who aren't Youkai have a chance at stopping me and even then you shall fail!"

"You know Naraku there are many advantages to not being born a hanyou," said Yusuke with a smirk. "One of them is that it just isn't youki you have to worry about, but something else."

Naraku hissed at him spitting poisonous web from his mouth at the group, who quickly dodged out of its way. Looking around he saw that Yakumo had disappeared. Luckily for Naraku he had swallowed the Shikon Jewel and that gave him more power than he usually had. Quickly moving one of his legs he grabbed Kohaku before he could dodge and held him hostage against them.

"BASTARD!" yelled Sango angrily.

"Maybe, but I hold all the trump cards, surrender and become my servants and the boy shall live," said Naraku laughing until he felt a searing pain in his leg.

"Shut your mouth Naraku!" said a voice. "I told you I would get revenge for my comrades that you killed!"

"Kouga!" exclaimed Ayame happily as Kouga ignored her and struck Naraku again, causing him to release Kohaku.

"Damn Wolf Youkai!" roared Naraku as he used one of his fangs to pierce Kouga's chest, right through his heart, injecting his venom into him. "Normally you would die a slow and agonizing death. However since you're already mortally wounded, I just spread the process up."

"Damn you Naraku," said Kouga as he fell back deathly pale. "Ayame… look after… our pup… …"

Ayame was in shock so badly that she didn't see one of Naraku's legs coming shooting right at her. When she saw the leg, it was too late, or so she thought until she heard Naraku scream in agony. She saw a badly injured and bloodied Touya standing in front of her with his Ice Sword that had cut of part of Naraku's leg.

"Are you alright?" asked Touya heavily as he coughed up blood as Ayame nodded. "Good, I would hate to see another friend die."

-

Kurama stood in shock, he was sure that Touya had died when he fell of the cliff. But apparently he survived, but was now slowly dieing from blood loss. Moving quickly he used his Kitsune powers to cause all the plants in the area to attack Naraku. It made little difference though, because the moment they got near him, they would instantly die.

'Damn it, the miasma is protecting him from serious harm, at least from the harm of a Kitsune…' thought Kurama angrily as he growled in frustration.

Looking around he saw the others were having serious problems as well. Kurama knew it was the miasma that was shielding Naraku from harm, but what he didn't know was how to get rid of the miasma. That's when he heard it, a yell, turning he saw Yukina flung into one of the buildings and he growled angrily attacking Naraku, only to be sent flying as well. When he landed he stood up and saw his left arm was broken, looking around he found that Naraku was winning the fight.

-

Miroku knew that the miasma was protecting Naraku and that he had the key to getting rid of the miasma, but at a heavy cost. He would have to give up his own life to save the lives of many, since he wouldn't be able to handle the miasma and survive. Moving off to where Botan stood trying to find a way past Naraku's defenses, he quietly hugged her.

"Botan, take care of our child," said Miroku sadly.

"What are you talking about? We're both going to take care of our child," said Botan in surprise.

"Maybe, maybe not, I have the key to get rid of the miasma that is protecting Naraku," said Miroku. "However it comes with a heavy cost in doing so."

"What cost is that?" asked Botan scared.

"My life," replied Miroku before kissing Botan gently and wiping away a tear before moving in front of her. "WIND TUNNEL!"

-

Naraku saw the monk uncover the cursed void in his right hand and yell out the warning to everyone. He cursed at seeing that the monk was going to sacrifice his own life in order to get rid of miasma shield. He could feel the all of the miasma in the valley being sucked into the void, including the miasma that was shielding him. Cursing the monk he moved to kill him before his shield was completely gone, but felt a sharp pain in his hind legs before crashing into the ground.

"WHAT?" yelled Naraku seeing Kurama's rose whip around his hind two legs.

-

Botan watched in horror as all the miasma was sucked into the void in Miroku's right hand. She saw that he was weakening from the miasma's poisonous effects and cried out for him to stop, but he ignored her and continued to suck in the miasma until there was none left. Quickly sealing the cursed hand he fell back incredibly pale and weak.

"Miroku, why did you have to do that Miroku?" cried Botan as Miroku smiled sweetly and brushed his fingers across her face wiping away the tears.

"I had to, for our child, for your future, for everybody's future. I had to make sure that Naraku lost the upper hand by getting rid of what shields him from harm. Please remember Botan that I will always love you and our child," said Miroku kissing her hand before his eyes fell closed and his body went limp.

"NO!" cried Botan in despair.

-

Yusuke saw Botan's heart break and her despair at the loss of Miroku, he couldn't imagine what she feeling at that moment, but he could make Naraku pay.

"NARAKU!" snapped Yusuke. "You have caused enough suffering! You have caused enough death! Naraku you are going to die!"

Yusuke summoned all his reiki and youki at once revealing his aura as it thrashed about madly and almost uncontrollably. Naraku's eyes widened in fear at what he saw and for the first time in his entire life, either as Onigumo or Naraku he was truly terrified. Yusuke walked closer to Naraku as the others watched in shock at how bold Yusuke was.

'Now he will suffer for all the pain and death he has caused others! He shall pay for all the crimes he has committed!' thought Yusuke angrily. "Now you pay."

-

Hiei knew this was his moment to injure Naraku badly and get the Shikon Jewel Shards out of him as he summoned all his youki. Letting his bandana and the wards on his arm burn away in black fire he saw Sango and Kohaku look at him fearfully and shocked. Kurama came over and joined them, moving them back away from Hiei as he carried Yukina on his right shoulder, as Hiei closed his main eyes.

"Kurama what's going on? Hiei has never done this before! He's letting the flames consume him and his Jagan Eye is glowing brightly. I'm scared, yet I know he's done something similar to this before," said Sango recalling him using a fiery black dragon to defeat the generals.

"Hiei is attempting the Darkness Technique. This is similar to what he's usually done, but this is ten times more powerful and dangerous. The last time he used this technique his right arm was out of commission from the after effects. There are many creatures that can be summoned from the deepest, darkest pits of the Reikai. The Dragon of the Darkness Flame is one of them, however something is not right, he is using his youki as bait to summon something else," said Kurama.

That's when Hiei's main eyes snapped open, "Dragon's of the Darkness Flame!"

"He's summoned more than one! I didn't know it possible, but he has managed to summon the Hydra of the Darkness Flame," said Kurama now incredibly pale.

"Hydra of the Darkness Flame?" asked Kohaku.

"It's multiple Dragon's of the Darkness Flame that merge together when they attack, few have ever managed to survive, let alone summon this creature. Hiei is among the few who have mastered the Jagan Eye," said Kurama as they watched Hiei.

They all watched as the dragon's attacked Naraku and at the last second merge into the hydra as it roared. Naraku himself had attempted to escape its wrath, but his hind legs and been hog tied by Kurama's rose whip. He roared out in pain and agony as he felt his body being burned and ripped apart piece by piece. He saw the arrow come out of nowhere and strike his fangs, purifying them instantly, causing him to scream out in agony and fury even more.

"IT'S NOT POSSIBLE!" roared Naraku as he attempted to attack again only to have an oar come out of nowhere and smack him in his eyes. "AW!"

"TAKE THIS AND THIS, YOU DAMN BABOON FACED SPIDER!" yelled Botan angrily not caring what she said.

The others just stared at her for what she said and blinked as Botan blinded Naraku. Yusuke just shook his head as he pulled his fist back and smirked.

"SHOTGUN!" yelled Yusuke as he thrust his fist forward and unleashed his reiki upon Naraku filling him with holes.

"How?" breathed Naraku weakly. "How could you stop me? I have the Shikon Jewel!"

"You mean that glowing black jewel on the ground over there," said Yusuke as Naraku reverted back to his humanoid form.

"I will absorb you and become unstoppable!" said Naraku hoarsely as he reached out towards Yusuke.

"Here's a gift for you Naraku, thought I'm pretty sure you won't like it," said Yusuke with a smirk as Inuyasha used his Wind Scar on Naraku, destroying his body from the waist down, just as Yusuke pointed his index finger at Naraku, like a gun. "SPIRT GUN!"

The blast incinerated all that was left of Naraku, leaving not even a piece of dust behind, but two youki heart cores appeared. They suddenly disappeared though as Kanna and Kagura came out of the ruins of Naraku's keep bloodied and bruised.

"Kagura!" snarled Inuyasha.

"Don't waste our time dog breath," said Kagura. "I'm not going to fight you, I'm glad that bastard Naraku's gone."

"Indeed, what will you do now Wind Sorceress?" questioned Sesshomaru.

"How am I supposed to know? I guess Kanna and I will merely find something occupy ourselves with," said Kagura the two flew up into the sky on Kagura's feather.

"You let them get away!" said Inuyasha angrily to Sesshomaru.

"Be quite little brother! Naraku forced them to do his bidding by holding part of their hearts in his possession. With the mere squeeze of his hand, he could kill them for being disobedient," said Sesshomaru.

"Yeah, I always wondered why Kagura said Naraku's name like it was foul tasting," said Sango as everyone still alive and conscious gathered next to one another.

Yusuke looked around and saw that Yakumo was nowhere to be seen, which meant that he had escaped.

"Damn it," said Yusuke causing everyone to look at him curiously. "Yakumo escaped, he must have left after he and Naraku got into their little fight earlier."

"Maybe, but we will deal with him when he resurfaces again," said Kurama. "For now let us take our dead and leave this forsaken valley."

Everyone agreed and they gathered all of their dead, which were Kouga and Miroku. It might also be Touya joining them soon, from how pale he was, even for a male Ice Koorime. He had lost a lot of blood and youki. Yusuke was helping Touya up the trail that led out of the valley as they decided to head back to Kaede's village.

Three Days Later – Kaede's Village

They arrived at Kaede's village without incident, but only with a few stops to rest. Since everyone was weary from battle, they decided to try and take their time. Kurama had used his plants and Kitsune abilities to cleanse Miroku of the miasma that filled his body. He also cleansed Kouga's body of Naraku's venom, which meant that they would not poison the ground around them and spoil the crops or water supply. As they arrived in Kaede's village, she greeted them warmly, but upon seeing their condition and the two bodies she knew not all had gone well.

"I see that ye have finally defeated Naraku," said Kaede. "But not without casualties. I will prepare everything necessary for their funerals."

Sesshomaru was going to leave right then and there, but something kept him from leaving. Looking down at Tensaiga he could feel it pulsating as he looked at the two bodies of Kouga and Miroku.

"Curious," said Sesshomaru as he unsheathed Tensaiga just as Kaede came out of her hut.

Seeing Sesshomaru unsheathe his sword was almost enough to make her tell him to stop. However since none of the other villagers knew these two were dead, she allowed him to continue. Swinging his sword over Kouga and Miroku's bodies all wounds suddenly disappeared and they sat up as if nothing had ever happened. Turning to a shocked Touya, who was on the verge of death he swung his sword over him as well, healing him.

"You have helped me and I have returned the favor, we are even. One for one," said Sesshomaru as he left the village.

Yusuke and the others watched as Botan practically jumped Miroku kissing him hard and passionately. Happy that he was given a second chance at life, so he could be with his child and his future wife. Turning to Kagome she had the purified Shikon Jewel in her hand, but it was till only three fourths finished. This meant either, the rest of the jewel was scattered across the land, Yakumo had the remaining fourth, or someone else had the remaining fourth. Since their mission was complete they had to return to their own time to check in with Koenma.

"Well I'm sad to say this, but our mission is complete," said Yusuke as the others looked at him curiously. "We have to check back in with Koenma. That means we have to go back to our own time."

"But what about our loved ones?" asked Botan.

"I don't know, why don't we try and bring them with us," said Yusuke.

"I'm not sure that would be a wise idea Yusuke," said Kurama.

"I don't know then, the rest of you will either have to stay behind and pretend that you were killed and severe any connections to us, or… I don't know," said Yusuke giving up.

"That's more the like the Yusuke we all know and love," said Kurama jokingly.

"Keep laughing fox-boy, you might end up next on my hit list," said Yusuke.

"You have a hit list?" asked Kagome coldly.

"Yeah, number one is the traitor, the next time I see him I add another tally to my already one sided winning streak," said Yusuke.

"What do you mean? What's the score?" asked Kagome curiously as the others, except Touya, Botan, Yukina, Kurama, and Hiei, asked as well, curious to know the score.

"Hiei, when was the last time the traitor decided to pick a fight with me?" asked Yusuke.

"Two months ago, for one week, for three hours total a day," said Hiei as Yusuke nodded. "You won every single one of them too."

"Yeah, so that makes the score what? Three thousand five hundred and ninety-seven to zero?" said Yusuke as Hiei nodded.

"All that in one week?" asked Inuyasha dumbfounded.

"No, that's over the course of about three years, before I met Hiei or Kurama. Hell even before I was a Tantei," said Yusuke. "He has that stupid code of his too."

"Code?" asked Sango curiously.

"Yeah, let's see one part is to never hit your friends, fair enough. Another part is that all women need a big strong man to protect them from harm, pure bullshit. Women can protect themselves just as well as men. You're a prime example Sango. Another is not to fight women, even if they're trying to kill you, more bullshit, if a woman is trying to kill you, you fight back to stay alive if for nothing else. Another part is what, oh yeah, no swearing in front of women, more bullshit. If a woman can swear in front of women and men, then men can too," said Yusuke as the others just nodded understanding his points.

"He sounds like a sexist pig," said Kagome as Sango and Ayame looked at her confused. "Someone who thinks we should be treated like little china dolls."

That got Sango's understanding, but not Ayame's.

"Um… someone who thinks your inferior to the males of your tribe," said Kagome as Ayame growled at the thought.

"If I ever meet him, I will personally make sure he cannot produce offspring," growled Ayame angrily.

"Well he's a big tall carrot top, ugly as hell, always going on about his code, and you'll know him when he says something stupid about his sister and then tries to beg for her forgiveness," said Yusuke as Hiei smirked at the memory of Shizuru smacking Kuwabara up side his head for making fn of her.

"So in other words, when it comes to family, he's a spineless coward?" asked Sango.

"Um… yeah, I guess you could say that," said Yusuke as Hiei smirked his approval. "I'll say one thing Hiei, you chose a really good mate. She'd probably make the traitor scream like… well… I would say girl, but that's not really fair to any of you."

"How about… well no, from what you've described of him nothing is that bad, so how about we just say a spineless, conniving, cowardly, school girl?" said Kagome grinning sheepishly as the others just nodded.

"Alright, back to the subject at hand, Kurama what does history say about us?" asked Yusuke.

"That our group joined with another and after a major battle simply disappeared," said Kurama smirking at knowing the answer the entire time.

"Then Miroku, Sango, Ayame, Kouga, Inuyasha, Shippo, you can all come with us or stay behind," said Yusuke as they quickly agreed to go with them to their era. "Alright Kagome, how does this well work?"

"I don't really know, only Inuyasha and I are ever able to get thought it," said Kagome sheepishly. "Maybe if we do it in intervals we can get everybody through."

"Probably a good idea, I don't want to end up being crushed by everyone on top of me," said Yusuke. "Okay, now does anybody have a problem with this?"

Only Inuyasha raised his hand as everyone turned to look at him curiously.

"I can't just leave my mate behind," said Inuyasha as he looked at the ground unable to meet anybody in the eyes.

"Fair enough, you've earned your chance at redemption, even if you mated with the clay pot," said Yusuke.

"You mated with a clay pot?" said Kouga laughing.

"I mean Kikyo," said Yusuke causing Kouga to stop laughing.

"Well, she's human again. Thanks to an experiment we tried, using Tensaiga to heal her. Along with the hope that she would be given this second chance, we agreed that neither would journey nor take the other to hell with him or her. Thankfully it did work out," said Inuyasha as he raised his head and received a punch to the jaw by none other than Kagome herself.

"That's for being an arrogant little jerk and leading me on!" said Kagome as she then smiled and helped him up. "Now all is forgiven Inuyasha."

"Thanks, I think," said Inuyasha as he backed away from Kagome with a new found respect for her.

"Now, unlike you may have previously thought, it wasn't just Tensaiga that healed Kikyo. Midoriko's spirit also healed her, she told me herself, it was in one of those dream/vision thingy's though," said Kagome as she just blushed from embarrassment.

"Okay," said Inuyasha as he just shifted a bit nervously.

"There's more right?" asked Kagome clenching her fist again.

"Yes! Please don't hit me again! Your punches hurt more than his!" said Inuyasha pointing to Yusuke as he backed away from Kagome even further.

"Well what do you know, it seems like my mate can hit harder than me," said Yusuke as Kurama and Hiei smirked at his comment. "Guess that means I better not make her mad at me."

"Listen Kagome, please don't hurt me, don't hit or sit me!" said Inuyasha.

"Why shouldn't I?" said Kagome angrily.

"Think of my children!" said Inuyasha.

"Your children!" said Kagome dumbfounded. "You're a father!"

Now everyone stared at Inuyasha in shock as Kagome just backed away from Inuyasha and sat down. She just stared at Inuyasha as he just grinned sheepishly.

"How old are they? How many? Are they boys or girls? What are their names?" asked Kagome in a rush.

"The eldest three are triplets, two girls and a boy, all two years old, but look like seven year olds," said Inuyasha. "The next are twin girls, one year olds, but who look to be about five or six years old. My eldest daughter's name is Inyiko, my second eldest daughter's name is Kiyasha, and my only son's name is Inuyako. My two youngest daughter's names are Kagome, named after you, and Rein."

"You named one of your children after me?" asked Kagome touched as she went over and hugged Inuyasha tightly. "I'm honored."

"Well, truth be told it was Kikyo's idea, she named the twins, while I named the triplets," said Inuyasha. "Once they turn three, their aging process will slow down to twice as slow as a human's. This means by the time they turn nine they will look nine."

"Okay, I guess that's useful information," said Kagome. "Kurama, Yusuke, go with Inuyasha to get his family!"

They both just nodded not wanting to anger her after seeing her slug Inuyasha. When they left with Inuyasha, Hiei just smirked until he realized that he was going to be interrogated by the women, since Kouga and Touya decided to go help the villagers.

"What did I do to deserve this?" groaned Hiei to himself.

-

Inuyasha, Yusuke, and Kurama arrived at the cave in time to see bandits force their way through wards, by slashing them with their swords. The leader came out holding Kikyo by the hair as she struggled and lashed out at him.

"Let me go you vile scum!" said Kikyo.

"Why? You have disgraced Miko's everywhere by bearing children with Youkai blood! We the Youkai Assassinators shall kill all Youkai, Youkai sympathizers, and children with Youkai blood. According to our sources you are currently with child," said the bandit leader. "Thankfully nether it nor your children nor you shall live to see the light of day again!"

"Leave them alone if you know what's good for you," said Yusuke stepping into the clearing.

"Who exactly are you?" demanded the leader.

"Me? I'm just your average street punk, turned Youkai Exterminator. But I only exterminate those that threaten humanity. You guys make me sick, especially since I found out that I am the son of the Lord of the Northern Lands," said Yusuke with a smirk. "I am Prince Roizen of the Northern Lands and you guys are assholes."

"WHY YOU LITTLE – UH?" said the leader as he fell to the ground gasping for air and clutching his stomach.

"Did I forget to mention that I'm a Toushin?" asked Yusuke curiously with a smirk as he smashed his elbow into the guy's skull knocking him out cold. "Who's next?"

"I have Anti-Toushin Wards on my armor, so I'll take you on!" said one bandit confidently. "You were a fool to come alone."

"Who said I was alone? I'm here with the best thief you will have ever met," said Yusuke as Kurama appeared behind them with a sack of gold in his hands.

"Such easy targets," said Yoko as the men turned to see him standing there. "No match for the great and infamous Yoko."

"YOKO?" screamed one bandit as he ran, only to be entangled in vines which stripped him of his armor and left him hanging in his under clothing.

"Yes, Yoko has come," said Yoko with a smirk. "Now who wants to meet the Shokuyo Shokubutsu?"

"Your joking right, that thing actually exists!" said another bandit as three more joined him in making a run for it.

"Shall I show it to them or should I merely use the Shimaneki Sou?" asked Yoko.

"Just plant the Death Seeds and be done with it fox!" said Yusuke.

"Very well, any last requests? None! Oh well," said Yoko as he planted the seeds in each bandit and in mere seconds after he finished they sprouted from their bodies, leaving them dead where they hung and lay. "Now Kikyo, come with us."

"Why should I trust you!" said Kikyo.

"Because Inuyasha is making sure there are no other bandits. Besides we are under orders from Kagome to come get you," said Yoko chuckling softly.

"Okay," said Kikyo as Inuyasha arrived and embraced Kikyo tightly. "I'm alright Inuyasha, let's go."

Inuyasha would carry Kikyo, while Yusuke would carry the twins, and Yoko would carry the triplets. They took off at full speed towards Kaede's village and the well.

Two Hours Later

When they arrived everyone was waiting for them, they saw a wave of relief wash over Hiei as he used their momentary distraction to escape their torture.

"Kikyo," said Kagome as the two women just stood there.

"Kagome," replied Kikyo.

"You're looking well," said Kagome.

"Thank you, as are you," said Kikyo. "Let's skip the small friendly banter and get down to what you really want to say to me."

"Fine, you have my blessings as Inuyasha's adopted sister for you to be his mate," said Kagome surprising Kikyo. "I also wish for everything that happened between us in the past to be put to rest."

Kikyo just smiled and nodded as Kagome surprised her again by hugging her.

"Welcome to the family," said Kagome with a smile that Kikyo couldn't resist as she hugged Kagome back.

"Thank you, now are we going to your time or not?" asked Kikyo.

"We are, you and Inuyasha are first, followed by me and the twins," said Kagome as Kikyo nodded in agreement. "Then Inuyasha stays there until at least Hiei and Kurama are in my time to protect you and your children."

"Agreed, but I want those two in your time first then," said Kikyo to Kagome as they discussed the plan with everybody fine tuning it.

Three Hours Later

Everything had been decided and already a little more than half of them were in Kagome's time. All that remained was Kouga, Ayame, and Touya, along with Kagome herself. Kagome had the three grab hold of her arms as they climbed down into the well and were transported to Kagome's time. When they climbed out Kagome instinctively sealed the well, so that it couldn't be used by anybody.

"Mom, I'm home!" called Kagome.

"Kagome, we have to talk about your behavior a little while ago. Your behavior towards Yusuke when he was just trying to help was uncalled for and the way you have been treating him as well," said Mizu.

"Um, mom, we have company," said Kagome motioning to the others behind her.

"Oh," said Mizu as she looked at them carefully, she noticed Yoko and immediately walked straight over to him, surprising him. "Bend down, now!"

Yoko blinked at her in surprise. She was commanding him to bend down. He was about to protest when she glared at him and he bent down shuddering at the thought of her glare. It reminded him of his mothers glare when she was mad at him. As soon as he was within her reaching distance she grabbed his ears and started to rub them. He knew that it felt good to get his ears rubbed, but it was embarrassing. He had to choke back a groan of pleasure and disappointment as she finished rubbing his ears. Turning he saw that just about the entire group was turning blue in the face from holding back their laughter. Finally after several minutes Inuyasha was the one to crack out laughing, soon followed by the others, causing Yoko and Mizu to blush in embarrassment, though it was mainly Yoko.

"Sorry, Yoko, it's just not everyday do you see somebody order you around and then rub your ears like that," said Yusuke as he started to breath heavily trying to regain his breath. "Aw man, did anybody take a picture of that?"

"I did," said Souta appearing out of nowhere causing almost everyone to jump. "Next time he comes over it'll make excellent blackmail material."

"You wouldn't dare," said Yoko coldly.

"Wan to bet?" asked Souta with a mischievous grin that could rival Yoko's.

"Don't even think about it Yoko," said Yusuke. "Don't even try it! Don't bring that wretched thing out!"

"What? Bring what out?" asked Souta and Mizu curiously.

"The Shokuyo Shokubutsu a.k.a. the Death Tree, the kid has just made an enemy of the infamous Yoko," said Yusuke frowning.

"How did I make an enemy of him?" asked Souta curiously.

"You threatened to blackmail him," said Yusuke plainly.

"Um, would it help if I apologized and that it was Aunt Shiori's idea?" asked Souta.

Yoko's eyes widened as he just sat down groaning knowing that his mother was capable of doing such a thing.

"This is going to be a long day," complained Yoko.

"Well, who wants Oden?" asked Mizu as Kagome was instantly in at the dinner table.

"Why not, it's a while since I've had some," said Yusuke.

"Hold it right there mister!" said Mizu. "What are your names before you enter my house and eat my food?"

"Okay, the one whose ears you rubbed is Yoko a.k.a. Yoko Kurama, Lord of the Southern Lands," said Yusuke. "The one with the blue hair and green bangs is Touya, the Ice Master of the Shinobi. The one with the cheerful bubbly attitude is Botan, Navigator of the River of Styx a.k.a. the Grim Reaper. **–Smack–** OW!"

"That's what you get for nearly scaring the woman half to death, no pun intended," said Botan holding her oar in one hand as Mizu just smiled sweetly allowing her to pass.

"Hello ma'am my name is Yukina, it's a pleasure to meet you," said Yukina politely.

"Just call me Mizu, please," said Mizu as she allowed Yukina to pass. "Now, I take the one in the robes is Miroku, the little kid is Shippo, the two tailed cat is Kirara, and the one with the giant boomerang is Sango?"

"Yes they are," said Yusuke.

"You can go on in then," said Mizu. "Now the rest of you, names now."

"I'm Kikyo and these are my children," said Kikyo as Mizu glared at her, but when she noticed the children around her she felt her heart melt. "I have already made amends with your daughter and would like to do so with the rest of her family."

"You already have, if Kagome trusts you enough to forgive you and bring you here, then I trust you. Besides nobody who could have such beautiful children could be evil or bad," said Mizu as she allowed Kikyo and her children to enter. "Now, what about you mister, what's your name?"

"Roizen, Lord of the Northern Lands, to the Youkai," said Yusuke.

"What about the humans? What are you known as to them?" asked Mizu suspiciously.

"Yusuke Urameshi, number one thug of Sarakaishi Junior High and High," said Yusuke with a grin.

"Then go on in, but later, you, Kagome, and I are going to talk," said Mizu sternly. "She owes you an apology."

"And she already gave it," said Yusuke. "Like you said, we'll talk later."

That night at dinner everybody was introduced and it was decided that the house had to be expanded to accommodate all of the house hold members. When everyone had gone to bed, only Mizu, Kagome, Yusuke, Shiori, and Kurama remained up.

"Now what's this I hear about you already apologizing to Yusuke?" asked Mizu sternly to Kagome.

"Just what it sounds like mother," said Kagome. "Yusuke was sent back in time to take down Naraku, the one who killed his mother."

Mizu and Shiori immediately knew that there was something not being said, so Yusuke cut in and explained everything to them about his life since he was about fourteen years old. They were shocked and yet with all the strange things that happened to them in their life, they believed him, especially after he demonstrated by switching to his Toushin form and back, then demonstrating with a weak Spirit Gun blast.

"Alright, but my question is this, why is Yoko here?" asked Shiori.

"I have gone by a human name in my years here in the Ningenkai. I have gone by four different names throughout my life, Yoko, Yoko Kurama, Kurama, and the human name you gave me Suichi," said Yoko as he reverted back to his human form.

"You're a Youkai?" asked Shiori.

"Yes and no, technically I am a Youkai, but also a human. Because of my uniqueness at current time, I have four different forms, my fox form, my Youkai form, my human form, and my hanyou form," said Kurama. "I never wished to deceive you mother, but it was for your protection. The one thing that changed me was you, you taught me to love humanity and that is why I stayed. I had originally planned to leave at ten years old, but you became ill and I couldn't leave, I love you too much to leave you now. I had stolen a mystical item known as the Forlorn Hope in order to use its power to grant my hearts desire, which was for you to get better, but it came with a very heavy cost."

"What is that?" asked Shiori.

"My life, I would have to give up my life in order for you to continue on in life," said Kurama sadly. "However Yusuke intervened and offered his life instead of my own, so the Forlorn Hope granted my wish without taking life in honor of the sacrifice that was willing to be made and this only a short time after he himself came back to life."

"You were willing to give your own life for mine, knowing that this item would cost you that much?" asked Shiori touched.

"Yes," replied Kurama as Shiori hugged him tightly and started to cry tears of joy and sadness at Kurama's willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice knowingly for her. "Please don't cry mother, I can't stand it when you cry."

Shiori only nodded as she hugged Kurama tightly.

"Now back tot eh subject at hand, so you two have made amends?" asked Mizu.

"Yes," replied Kagome and Yusuke simultaneously.

"I see is there anything else?" asked Mizu curiously.

"Yeah, by Youkai laws, Kagome is my wife," said Yusuke as Kagome showed her mother the claim mark and Yusuke the same. "But we would also like your blessings for a human style wedding."

"Something tells me there is more," said Mizu.

"Well by Youkai Law Yusuke is your son in-law, but that's not what I wanted to really tell you," said Kagome. "By Youkai Law, Sesshomaru, Inuyasha's older half-brother, adopted me as his sister, making him your adopted son by Youkai Law, since you're my birth mother. But Inuyasha also adopted me as his sister, making him, by Youkai Law, your adopted son as well, since you're my birth mother. Along with these things, by Youkai Law, Yusuke and I have adopted Shippo as our son, your grandson. Now through the Youkai Law, Kikyo is your daughter in-law and thus you have five grandchildren through her with a sixth on the way."

"I can't believe it, I'm a grandmother through the Youkai Law… wow. I have to say I'm proud of you Kagome. You were able to find some whom you truly love, adopt an orphaned Kitsune kit as your own son, and get adopted by the Lord of the Western Lands and his younger half-brother. The next time you see this Sesshomaru, would you please tell him I would like an audience with him regarding him adopting you as his sister?" said Mizu politely.

"Sure thing mom," said Kagome as the two women looked at Yusuke whose eyes were staring at Kagome. "Is there something on my face?"

"No, it's just your so beautiful when you smile like that," said Yusuke causing her to blush in embarrassment and gratefulness.

"He's definitely a keeper Kagome," said Mizu causing both Kagome and Yusuke to blush in embarrassment as Yusuke pulled Kagome gently over to him and wrapped his arms protectively around her. "Most definitely a keeper, take care of my daughter or else I will make your life miserable."

"I plan to," said Yusuke as his hands fell down onto Kagome's stomach where they stayed as a serious expression crossed Yusuke's face.

"What is it? Did Naraku leave something behind on or in me?" asked Kagome scared at the possibility of Naraku using her to return.

"No, it's nothing like that," said Yusuke reassuring her. "You're going to be a mother."

"But I already am a mother," said Kagome confused.

"Not by adoption, by birth," said Yusuke softly. "You're pregnant Kagome."

"I'm what! Are you sure?" asked Kagome hopefully.

"Very, I can feel our child developing in you. He or she will grow up to be very strong and caring," said Yusuke as Kagome turned to him and kissed him passionately.

"Um… Kagome is something wrong?" asked Mizu worried for her daughter.

"Nothings wrong mom, it's wonderful, I'm going to be a mother!" said Kagome as Mizu looked confused at Kagome's words. "I'm pregnant!"

Mizu just looked at Kagome before promptly fainting.

-

Kurama stood outside humming to himself a tune his mother used to hum to him when he had nightmares as a child.

"That's a nice tune," said a voice behind Kurama, causing him to stop.

"I know, my mother used to hum it to me when I was younger, especially whenever I had a nightmare," said Kurama. "What brings you our here Yukina?"

"I'm nearing that time for female Koorime," said Yukina. "I'm extremely fertile and I'm scared. I'm afraid that a Reikan male may come kidnap me and use me for his own pleasures and impregnate me with his child and then after its born and healthy enough to survive without me, kill me."

"Shh, it's okay Yukina," said Kurama hugging her protectively. "I won't let anything happen to you. I love you too much to let that happen, I will give my life before I let the Reikan males take you away."

"Kurama, I didn't know you cared for me like this," said Yukina as she hugged him back crying. "I love you too."

**_I feel your love reflection_**

**_In your eyes as they gaze back into mine_**

**_Writing a distant, neverending story_**

The two stood in each others arms not caring if Hiei saw them like that or not. All that mattered to them at the moment was their love for one another.

**_As if throwing off the sadness and pain, _**

**_I flap my wings,_**

**_and in my heart, I spread wide_**

**_the wings of courage that you've given to me. _**

They stood their thinking about everything that had happened to them in their lives that shaped them to be who they were that day. Yukina finding her long lost brother. Kurama revealing his most kept secret from his mother to her. To the two of them expressing their love for each other.

**_Ah... I want to feel the beat of this irreplacable love _**

**_so much, it's heart-wrenching and maddening._**

"Yukina, will you marry me?" asked Kurama as he revealed a Hiroseki stone. "In my days as Yoko in the Makai I came across and befriended a female Koorime. She tended to my wounds and in return I gave her most precious gift, a lock of my hair. Years later we met up again and she was happy, she had given birth only months to before to a beautiful daughter. She gave me this Hiroseki stone as a gift, since she had to return to her home. She told me to give it to the one I felt deserved it most. Her name was Lina, your great-grandmother."

"Kurama, it's beautiful, it's a sapphire!" said Yukina shocked and happy. "A Sapphire Hiroseki stone is quite rare. Are you sure you want me to have this?"

"Yes," said Kurama as the two kissed passionately.

**_I feel your love reflection_**

**_passionately uniting our dreams into one, _**

**_in our youth, we seek each other out,_**

**_without being afraid of our own faults!_**

The two stared up to the sky where the full moon shown a gentle bluish color. There was a chill in the wind; the first sign that Winter was coming. The leaves on the trees were in array of different colors and patterns, so much so that it only added to Yukina's beauty, at least from Kurama's perspective.

**_I feel your love reflection_**

**_In your eyes as they gaze back into mine_**

**_Writing a distant, neverending story_**

Yukina felt the chill in the wind and smiled, her favorite time of the year was approaching, winter. It was when her kind was at their peak in health and power. The cold was a comfort to them, just as the heat was comfort to the fire Koorime. But for occasional Fire and Ice Koorime, they were comfortable in winter and in summer. Yukina's one wish was to have her children in the winter and be married in the winter. She always loved the humans and the way they adapted to all environments, plus the fact the most humans were very kind, like Kagome, her mother, and Kurama's mother.

**_We quietly express our overflowing emotions_**

**_with our bare skin,_**

**_as if to embrace _**

**_the strength to be gentle..._**

"Yukina, would you like to marry this December?" asked Kurama quietly.

"Yes," replied Yukina as she snuggled against Kurama, feeling safe in his arms, like nothing could harm her.

**_Ah... Aa, I want to hold my head up high,_**

**_And lithely go beyond this violent era! _**

"Good, I've always wanted to marry in December, it was my favorite month and it's during my second favorite time of the year. My first being spring when all the flowers and trees are in bloom," said Kurama as kissed Yukina's forehead gently. "Yukina you make my heart feel like its going to melt, which is a good thing. It shows how much I care about you and reminds me how beautiful you are."

**_I feel your love reflection_**

**_The truth that we share_**

**_As long as we exchange kisses,_**

**_we don't need anything else anymore!_**

"I know that melting can be good, but I like things to be frozen, except people's hearts and souls. Those must remain warm so that they retain their kindness," said Yukina softly as Kurama chuckled softly. "Did I say something funny?"

**_I feel your love reflection_**

**_We'll stand firm and fight, _**

**_believing in the passion we'll never give up. It's our neverending story_**

"No, it's just that you come from a place that is cold and frozen, like most of your people's hearts towards those who are not like them," said Kurama. "You have your mother's heart and free will. She would have been proud of you Yukina."

"I know, I wish I had gotten a chance to grow up with her there with me," said Yukina as she started to cry.

"Shh, don't cry Yukina, tears don't suit you. It breaks my heart every time you start to cry," said Kurama softly.

**_I feel your love reflection_**

**_passionately uniting our dreams into one,_**

**_in our youth, we seek each other out,_**

**_without being afraid of our own faults!_**

"I'm sorry it's just that I feel so weak sometimes," said Yukina.

"You aren't weak Yukina, you have spirit, heart, and a caring for others that is quite rare. You have chosen the path as a healer instead of a fighter. Both are good paths, people fight for what they believe in, to protect those who can't protect themselves, and to survive in places that seem impossible to survive in," said Kurama softly. "Healers are there to help those who fight for others, to protect others, including the healers. Healers and fighters go together side by side. Without healers, where would the fighters be after the fights and battles are over with? Who would help the fighter?"

**_I feel your love reflection_**

**_In your eyes as they gaze back into mine_**

**_Writing a distant, neverending story_**

"Your so wise Kurama," said Yukina with a soft yawn. "I love you…"

Kurama smiled gently as Yukina fell asleep in his arms. Taking her into her room he laid her on the bed and pulled a light sheet over her for her own privacy. Turning he saw Hiei watching him and nodded to Hiei who returned the nod.

-

A/N: Well that's it for chapter eight, the battle was a bit short yeah, but there is a reason. I have plans for later chapters concerning the rest of the Shikon Jewel, Naraku, and Yakumo, along with Enma and those loyal to him. For now I'm going to be writing a few chapters on the characters while they rest from all the battling that had been done. Now here are a few questions for everybody.

What did you think of this chapter?

Should I extend the fight scenes at the beginning of the chapter? If so, please help me!

What should happen in the next chapter?

In the next chapter or the next few chapters should there be a run in with the traitors?

Note: For above question the traitors are Kuwabaka and Keiko.

Well that's all I can think of right now, but I'll try and get the next chapter started and posted as soon as possible. This means that you need to leave big reviews with your ideas and comments so I can try and work with and around all everyone. Until the next A/N in chapter nine, see ya and hope you enjoy the chapter.

Shadow Kage

* * *


	9. Revelations III: Rest and Relaxation

A/N: Well here it is the first of several chapters dealing with the characters taking a break from battles. This is chapter nine, it starts after this little author note is complete. I'd like to thank everybody who has reviewed this story, making it my second biggest hit. Now since that's out of the way, I guess that I can end this little author note. Here it is, at long last, chapter nine!

Chapter Nine: Revelations III: Rest and Relaxation

Two Weeks Later

Hiei and Sango were busy just walking through the streets looking at all the stores and especially the ice cream shops. Every time somebody would try and hit on Sango, Hiei would be in their face instantly glaring at them like they would die if they didn't leave. It worked and Sango was especially glad that Hiei was there to help her scare of the ones that wee dense to take a hint and leave her be. It was during one of these times that Sango decided she needed some new clothes if she was going to live in the current era. It was at the clothing shop that Sango ran into the one that every single one of the Tantei hadn't with such pure hatred and passion that it was scary.

"Oh, excuse me," said the girl as she walked past Sango.

Sango just ignored her and picked up a dress that she liked only to have it snatched right out of her hands. Turning she saw the girl that had walked past her carrying it to the dressing rooms. Growling to herself she decided to keep looking. After another five minutes of looking she found some black, red, navy, and purple dresses that she liked. After trying them all on she decided to pay for them with the money Hiei had given her. On her way to the register one of the dresses she was carrying was snatched out of her arms without any consideration to her.

"Excuse me, but that is mine!" said Sango angrily to the girl who took it out of her arms.

"I don't see your name on it, so I guess it's not yours!" replied the girl testily.

"Well I was carrying that in my arms, when you took right out of my arms! I would appreciate it if you would hand back to me and show me some courtesy!" said Sango angrily to the girl who just brushed her off.

"Is there a problem lady's?" asked one of the workers.

"Yes, that woman took the dress out of my arms when I was on my way over to pay for it! I asked her politely to give it back, but she just brushed me off," said Sango with the anger clearly showing in her voice.

"I see, well madam would you please follow me," said the worker leading Sango away from the girl that took the dress from Sango.

Once they were away from the girl the worker explained that the girl was friends with the store manager. So the clerk took Sango into the back where they kept their good dresses.

"I don't want any of these! I want the dress the bitch took from me!" snapped Sango angrily at the worker.

"I'm sorry but I can't do that, without evidence – uh" started the worker as Sango shoved the dresses into her arms.

"Then I'm leaving!" said Sango as she turned and left the store making quite a scene as others in the store decided to follow her example.

When Hiei found her he was shocked that she didn't have any new clothes, but once Sango explained it to him, he nodded his understanding and took her to another store. Sango was still angry, but something about Hiei always seemed to calm her. It was one of the many reason she loved him. When she came out of the dressing room each time after trying a dress on, she wouldn't show Hiei, teasing him about how he would have to wait later. When they finished clothes shopping for Hiei, including the undergarments, they went to the ice cream parlor across the street and got two large cones of Rocky Road. They would talk about nothing in particular, except how much they were glad they met each other.

"I'm telling you honey that lady was a bitch, she accused me of taking a dress from her when I already had it in hand. I wish you would revise your little code about not fighting women to fighting those who insult me," said the girl walking past the store Sango and Hiei were just in a few minutes prior. "Hey there she is!"

Sango and Hiei didn't notice the two people as they approached them from behind. They were talking with each other of who would win a sparring match with each other and others like Kohaku or Souta. Sango chuckled as Hiei just said that Kohaku would win hands down from more practice. A split second later Sango was grabbed by the arm, spun around, and punched in the face hard.

"Bitch, I heard you accused my wife of taking a dress from you, when she already had it before you even saw it," said the man angrily. "That was for insulting my wife and for accusing her of something she didn't do."

"Yeah, well your wife is a whore!" said Sango angrily wiping the blood from her lip. "So what are you names?"

"I am Kazuma Kuwabara the Great! This is my wife Keiko Ukimura-Kuwabara the most beautiful woman alive! You have insulted our honor and for that you must be punished," said Kuwabaka sternly.

"Touch her again and I will kill you," hissed Hiei venomously to Kuwabaka as he ran past him to Sango's side. "You should not have touched her!"

Kuwabaka stood for a moment and stared at the two and started laughing.

"You and that slut, she went into the back of a store earlier and did that nasty with one of the workers!" said Kuwabaka as Sango ran at him and slugged him even harder than he did her as one of his teeth went flying from his mouth.

"Don't ever call me that again! Do you understand me asshole? I am not a slut and I did no such thing with that damn woman at the one store. She tried to get me to by something I did not want to buy, so I left without buying a thing!" snapped Sango. "Now I believe you owe me an apology! I was just sitting there talking with my boyfriend and eating some ice cream and you decide to grab my arm, turn me around, and then punch me! Where I come from if you did that you would already be dead!"

"Sorry bitch," mocked Kuwabaka receiving a kick to the groin, causing him to collapse to the ground holding his groin tightly.

"Don't mock me or call me that idiot!" said Sango as she grabbed her bags and left with Hiei in tow. "I can't believe he called me that, when he has no proof whatsoever and decides to attack me from behind like that!"

Hiei just nodded as they arrived back at the Higuraishi Shrine, where Kurama, Yusuke, Mirkou, Kouga, and Inuyasha were finishing up on the additions to the house. When Kagome came up to greet them she saw that Sango had a busted lip and that she was seriously pissed off.

"What happened?" asked Kagome concerned.

"A run in with the traitors, with one of them punching Sango," said Hiei as he ran off to tell the others.

"Sango?" asked Kagome.

"I'll be fine, it started over the little bitch taking a dress I liked out of my arms and acting like I tried to take it from her and that I accused her of something false. When I left after a clerk tried to sell me something else, I went to another store, got what I wanted and then Hiei and I were eating some ice cream and talking. The big oaf came up behind me, grabbed my arm, spun me around, and then punched me. Then he started calling me a bunch of absurd names and making false accusations towards me. Hiei threatened him and when he saw that we were together he started laughing and called me more absurd names. He pissed me off so bad that I kicked him in the groin," said Sango as she let out a breath calming down from what happened to her.

"I see, Yusuke!" called Kagome as Yusuke was at her side an instant, asking if she was okay. "I'm fine Yusuke, it's just that Hiei and Sango had a run n with the traitors today and the oaf hit Sango. I thought he didn't hit women!"

"That's what I thought and that's what he said! He must have changed it or modified it on her request. That's the only reason I can think of," said Yusuke. "You okay Sango?"

"I'm fine, I just had my pride bruised, but I got him back with a kick to his groin," said Sango with a smirk that could rival Hiei's own smirk.

"Okay, as long as my friends are okay, I'm happy. But just to be sure I'd go get that lip cleaned up. I haven't seen them in almost a year together and don't know or care what their daily activities are. I wouldn't take any chances, though I hope you kicked him hard enough for him to be down for a long while," said Yusuke as Sango nodded and went inside to have her lip cleaned up.

"Yusuke, doesn't Sango getting hit, make you mad?" asked Kagome.

"Of course it does, it angers me that he would hurt my friends like that for no reason at all. But if she's okay, then I'll let it slide for now. However if they did something like that to you, then I would personally torture them until they apologized and promised to never touch you again," said Yusuke as he kissed Kagome's forehead gently. "Plus for the baby's sake I wouldn't leave your side unless I had to."

"Thanks Yusuke," said Kagome as she hugged Yusuke.

Her thoughts drifted back to two weeks earlier, when she told her mother she was pregnant, when they found out that Kurama and Yukina were engaged, and when so many other things happened. It was a time for them to grieve for the loss of their loved ones. It was a time for them to fully come to terms with their deaths, even if it was just for a little while.

Flashback

"Um… Kagome is something wrong?" asked Mizu worried for her daughter.

"Nothings wrong mom, it's wonderful, I'm going to be a mother!" said Kagome as Mizu looked confused at Kagome's words. "I'm pregnant!"

Mizu just looked at Kagome before promptly fainting.

"Mom!" cried Kagome as she was instantly at her mother's side.

"Uh… Kagome I could have sworn you said you were pregnant," said Mizu groaning as she sat up.

"I did mom, I am pregnant!" said Kagome excitedly.

"That's wonderful dear! I can't believe how fast you're growing up!" said Mizu crying tears of joy and sadness as she hugged Kagome. "It seems like just yesterday that you were starting kindergarten."

"I know, but I'm going to stay here and help run the shrine," said Kagome.

"No! You need to move and go somewhere else other than this old place," said Mizu.

"This is one time I'm not going to listen to you mom, because I want to stay. This is my home, this is where I'm going to raise my children," said Kagome sternly.

"I agree with Kagome on this, we're staying here, whether you like it or not," said Yusuke with a smirk. "Besides this is the only place that has accepted me for who I am and not by my reputation. I like it here and plan to help out around the shrine and raise our children."

"Well, when you put it like that, I can't argue with you. You've made up your minds and well I'm not going to throw you out onto the streets to survive. You're welcome here always and well, since Kagome's grandfather moved into his friends home across town, there is plenty of room for you," said Mizu softly. "I'll go get your room ready Yusuke."

"I'm staying near Kagome at all times, unless she says otherwise. I am going to do my job as her husband and the father of our unborn child, I am going to help her and protect her, along with our unborn child," said Yusuke. "If this means that I sleep on the floor, then so be it."

"I see, well then it's a good thing I moved Kagome's things into the master bedroom, your going to need the room," said Mizu with a sigh of defeat. "But no hanky panky until your married, understand?"

"Yes, I understand, besides all I want is to be near Kagome," said Yusuke nuzzling her neck gently, causing her to giggle.

"Alright then, Kagome I'm taking your old bedroom," said Mizu as they went to bed for the night. "Remember Yusuke, no hanky panky or else!"

Yusuke nodded as he carried Kagome up the stairs and into their bedroom. Yusuke shed his clothes until he was in what he wore to bed and climbed in and waited for Kagome to climb into bed with him. When she finally did, she snuggled right up to Yusuke and fell asleep instantly with Yusuke smiling softly at the beauty next to him. Letting sleep overtake him he wrapped his arms around Kagome instinctively.

The Next Morning

Yusuke woke to a loud banging noise on the bedroom door, which made him upset, since he was planning on sleeping in that morning. Getting dressed and answering the door he found it was Souta.

"What do you want kid?" asked Yusuke.

"Um, I came to get Kagome, her friends from school are here to see her," said Souta with Yusuke just nodding his thanks to Souta.

"Kagome, time to get up," said Yusuke as Kagome mumbled about five more minutes. "If you don't get up then your friends from school can see you in your night gown."

Kagome's eyes shot open at the comment as she rushed to the shower and locked the door behind her. After she finished she shooed Yusuke and Souta out and got dressed. When she finished dressing she made her way downstairs where Eri, Arimi, and Yuka were waiting for her.

"Hey guys, what's up?" asked Kagome curiously.

"First, what's with all the guys here and why are they laying a concrete foundation on the side of your house?" asked Eri.

"Well they're construction workers hired to help with an addition were putting in for Aunt Shiori and Suichi," said Kagome quickly.

"Whatever, second, we came to find out about the two-timer, since our usual meeting place was taken over by a big ugly guy and his girlfriend," said Arimi.

"Oh, well I've dissolved that relationship with him and well I couldn't stay mad at him. He's like the older brother I never had and I get along great with his girlfriend," said Kagome as her friends told her she did the right thing.

"So are you going to get together with Hojo now?" asked Yuka. "Oh and is Yusuke around, I really want to ask him out on a date."

"Yuka, about that, he spoke with me about your first meeting with him and the conclusions he drew from that first meeting…"

"What are you trying to say Kagome?" asked Yuka curiously.

"What she's trying to say Yuka, is that I think you're a nice person and all, but you're just not my type. I like to be friends with you, but to tell you the truth I wasn't interested in you like that," said Yusuke.

"Oh," said Yuka sadly on the verge of tears.

"Hey now, don't cry! I hate it when girls cry, it always makes me feel guilty for everything," said Yusuke. "I'm still willing to be just your friend Yuka, but nothing more. I can introduce you to somebody that's a lot like me, only a bit more carefree with what he says and does."

"Okay, I'll come back tomorrow to meet him. So Kagome are you going to get together with Hojo?" asked Yuka curiously.

"No, I've already found someone that I love very much," said Kagome.

"Really Kagome, you've found someone else already? Who? Do we know him?" asked Eri as all the girls curiosity was at an all time high.

"Yeah, he's in this room right now," said Kagome.

"Yusuke!" said Arimi.

"Yep, while he was working here, we sort of fell for one another," said Kagome blushing madly as she thought about how they really came to terms with each other about their feelings for one another.

"There's more, I can always tell when your hiding something Kagome," said Eri.

"Well, if you have to know we're engaged," said Kagome as her friends squealed in delight causing Yusuke to cringe and cover his ears.

"What's wrong with Yusuke?" asked Yuka.

"I have sensitive hearing that comes and goes. This just happened to be one of the times it didn't go," said Yusuke as he sat down next to Kagome as she leaned against him.

"What else are you hiding Kagome! I can tell you haven't told us everything!" said Arimi sternly.

"Gees persistent aren't they?" said Yusuke.

"Okay, if you absolutely must know everything then fine I will tell you, but you have to swear on your very lives and mean it, that you won't tell a soul, and I mean you won't tell anybody or write it in your diary's!" said Kagome sternly glaring at all three of them.

"I Arimi swear on my very life and blood that I won't tell a soul or anybody else or write it my diary, physical and electronic. If I do tell may I drop dead where I stand, sit, lay, or anything else I may be doing at the time I do tell," said Arimi as she cut her finger and pressed her finger against a piece of paper that read what she had just said.

"I Eri swear everything that Arimi swore," said Eri as she did the same thing and pressed her finger about an inch away from where Arimi pressed her finger. She also wrote her name in the second blank spot and signed her name at the bottom of the page too.

"I Yuka swear everything that Arimi and Eri swore," said Yuka as she did exactly as Eri and Arimi had done on the paper.

"Alright first off, all the times I was absent from school with all those weird illnesses were fake, I wasn't really sick. I was in the Feudal Era searching for the Shards of the Shikon Jewel which I had accidentally shattered to keep a Crow Youkai from going on a rampage," said Kagome as her friends looked at her. "My so called two-timing boyfriend was never my official boyfriend, but he wasn't completely human either. He is an Inu hanyou Youkai."

Kagome went on to explain about everything that had happened to her since she was fifteen and what had been going on during the past four years. From her first meeting Inuyasha to meeting Shippo, then Miroku, then Sango and Kirara, then to when she first met Kouga. She explained everything, including the final battle with Naraku only a few days earlier.

"Wow, that story is too detailed and specific to be false," said Eri.

"That is quite a tale, but how does Yusuke fit into all this?" asked Yuka curiously.

"I'm a Toushin hanyou," said Yusuke.

"Like, prove it," said Arimi the skeptic.

Yusuke's eyes narrowed at her as he begun his transformation process, where his hair started to grow long and wild and the tattoo's appeared on his chest, face, and both forearms and biceps. His eyes were closed, but when he opened them they held a menacing look to them. He grinned at them showing them his fangs before reverting back to his usual state.

"Proof enough or should I get someone who can prove what I say is true?" asked Yusuke.

"Prove it," said Arimi, still skeptical.

"BOTAN!" yelled Yusuke as Botan ran into the living room quickly.

"Yes Yusuke?" asked Botan.

"Tell them who and what I am," said Yusuke sternly.

"He is Lord Roizen of the Northern Lands of the Makai. He is also Yusuke Urameshi number one thug at Sarakaishi Junior High and High School. In addition he is the former Spirit Detective of Earth for the Reikai. I am Botan, former Navigator of the River of Styx, a Ferry Girl, or as I'm commonly referred to as the Grim Reaper," said Botan as Arimi and the others paled.

"Your friends with death?" said Arimi.

"I am not death! I am a former Grim Reaper, now retired from that position!" said Botan angrily at Arimi.

"Okay, so Yusuke is the ruler of the Northern Lands? Why doesn't he just go and confront the ruler then?" asked Yuka.

"I'm the Ruler of the Northern Lands in the Makai, not the Ningenkai. Now I don't know if I can get my friend here by tomorrow," said Yusuke to Yuka sternly.

"Oh, okay," said Yuka with a sad frown on her face.

"He decided to come by today," said Yusuke with a laugh as Kagome elbowed him in the gut hard. "Uh… hey that hurt Kagome!"

"Then you shouldn't tease her like that!" said Kagome as Yusuke just grinned and walked out of the living room into the kitchen.

-

Sango and Hiei were busy in the woods sparing with one another, trying to determine who was stronger with just physical strength and agility. So far they were evenly matched, Hiei was faster, but Sango was clever and adaptive. When Hiei would get one hit on her, she would find a way to get two in on Hiei. Then the process would be repeated again. After several hours of sparing with each other, they decided to take a break and rest up.

"You know Hiei, I almost miss not having to hide in the woods just to spar," said Sango.

"Maybe, but we have more privacy and practice time," replied Hiei kissing Sango gently on the lips as Sango returned the kiss.

"I wouldn't have come to this time if it weren't for you Hiei," said Sango.

"Maybe, but you're here now and that's all that matters," said Hiei as he kissed her again.

"I love you Hiei," said Sango as she leaned against him where they were sitting.

"I know and I love you as well," said Hiei as he kissed her forehead gently.

-

Yusuke had left the living and went into the kitchen, but from there he went outside and found himself in front of the Holy Tree. Sighing he sat down against it and just started to cry. He missed his mother dearly. He wished she still alive so she could see her grandchildren be born and grow up. When she died and after her funeral he didn't have time to grieve as he had to hunt down Naraku so others wouldn't have to go through what he went through, so that they could live happily with their mothers. He smiled as he remembered when he was ten, before his mother ever started drinking, before he became a tough guy, when he still held his innocence, but it was also when he lost his innocence.

Flashback (A/N: Flashback within a flashback.)

"Hey mom!" said a ten year old Yusuke as he came home form school. Wondering where she was he looked around the house and found his mother lying on the floor in her room crying. "Mom?"

"Oh Yusuke," said Atsuko as she started crying heavier.

Yusuke had dropped what he made for his mom and it shattered on the floor, but neither cared as Yusuke went and hugged his mom. He knew that she missed his father, ever since he disappeared one night, with the only sign that he had ever loved was a note:

-

Dear Atsuko and Yusuke,

If your reading this, then I've been found out. I have been in hiding for a very long time. During this time I met you Atsuko, the moment I saw you, I knew you were the one. I had only felt this way about one other, but she was killed so long ago. Please be careful, the ones that are after me are extremely dangerous and won't hesitate to kill either of you, just to get to me. Know that I took your name Atsuko, because I loved you dearly. Yusuke if you reading this, then I want you to take care of your mother. Hopefully one day we'll be able to meet face to face. Maybe one day Atsuko, you and I will be together once again, until then be strong for me and for Yusuke.

Love,

Raizen

-

Yusuke cursed his father for the first time for making his mother cry. However Atsuko told him not to, because it wasn't his fault that he had to leave.

"Yusuke he left so that we may have a chance to live. I don't know if he's still alive, but even if he's not I still love him," said Atsuko trying to explain to Yusuke why he left them. "He loves you as well Yusuke, you'll meet him again one day, I promise."

"I don't want to meet that bastard! He left us! He left us to fend for ourselves and he made you cry! I hate him!" said Yusuke angrily as Atsuko's temper got the best of her and she slapped Yusuke across the face. Yusuke looked at her in shock and backed away and took off down the hall and out the front door.

Atsuko looked at her hand and started shaking, unable to understand why she hit her son. Looking at the broken item on the floor she picked the pieces up and began to glue it back together. When it was finished she could hardly believe it, Yusuke had made her a picture frame stand, it was also engraved around the border, reading:

Atsuko Urameshi, number one mother in the Sarakaishi School District. Raizen Urameshi, number one father and fighter in the Sarakaishi School District. Yusuke Urameshi, number one son and fighter in the Sarakaishi School District.

It was that day she started drinking, never being able to forgive herself for hitting Yusuke. From that day forward he and his mother never really got along. They always had fights and in the end she always ended up hitting him and after Yusuke would leave she would start to drink to drown out her shame. Yusuke himself and become the number one thug in the Sarakaishi School District and made only one friend, Keiko Ukimura, whom he fell in love with even though he was only ten years old at the time.

End Flashback (A/N: End flashback within flashback.)

'To think it all started nine years ago, when my mom and I got into our first fight. Now that I think about it, I still haven't read the letter she left me,' thought Yusuke as he pulled the letter out of his pocket, opening it.

-

Dear Yusuke,

If your reading this, then I'm gone now and never got to tell you in person how I feel about our relationship. I will admit that I have been a rotten and horrible mother over the years and that I don't deserve you as a son, but you are my son and I want you to know, I love you. I'm proud of you, even if you were a bit hot headed and rude, but you were and still are my son and I want you to know that I never meant a single word I said when I was angry and/or drunk. I love you Yusuke, and I regret everyday that our relationship turned out to be this sour. When you disappeared for three years I thought you had finally got sick of me and abandoned me. During this time I grew seriously ill and let myself decline further into this illness believing that I would never see you again and that you hated me for everything that happened to us.

When you returned, it was like a tiny specter of light in absolute darkness. I was beginning to claw my way back out of this illness. I was so happy that you had returned, but then those awful memories of before you disappeared came back to me and made me want to die. But you Yusuke, you saved me, even if in the long run I'm not alive at whatever time you are reading this letter, you saved me. I forgave you a long time ago for everything you put me through and accepted what and who you were. At the moment I remembering the good times we had together when I wasn't drunk, you weren't picking any fights, and when we weren't fighting with one another. Do you remember the time we to the festival when you were fifteen? Of course you do, how silly of me. That day was one of the best days of my life with you Yusuke.

So you know I started drinking to try and drown away my shame. Every time I hit you I felt a part of me die. I hated myself for it and have never forgiven myself for every time I hit you or myself for drinking like I did and becoming an alcoholic. I just wish that you can forgive me for everything I've put you through in the past years. It's funny you know? Here I am confessing my feelings to you in this letter when I'm such a strong woman, but I can't bring myself to tell you face to face, for fear that you would reject me and hate me even more. Just so you know, I don't want you to feel bad though, every time you said you hated me and wanted me to die I felt like granting your wish Yusuke. It hurt me so bad Yusuke, but I knew in my heart that you didn't mean it, that it was just in the heat of the moment when you were angry. I love you Yusuke, never forget that. I hope that you can forgive me for ever hitting you like I did, I regret it everyday. I guess I'm just being silly and dumb when I say this, but I really did fear that you would reject me and hate me even more if I confronted you with this face to face.

Please Yusuke this past year with you taking care of me, even with all your own problems, I've felt that you are trying to redeem yourself in my eyes. I'll tell you now Yusuke, you have nothing to redeem yourself for, and even if you do, I've forgiven you and put that all behind me. I regret that I won't be able to see my grandchildren, but as long as your happy, that's all that counts. Please don't beat yourself up over what happened in the past with us, let it go, just forget about it and learn from our mistakes. Don't make the same mistakes I made in raising you Yusuke. I love you so much, that words can't truly begin to describe how I feel for you. Remember a parent's love for their children is unconditional, even if they aren't perfect. Take care of yourself Yusuke and remember always that the compassion that you hold deep in your heart is your greatest strength, never let it fade away or let others tell you that it is a weakness. Take it form me Yusuke, I almost let my compassion go out, but you helped me keep it alive. This letter is just a small example of the compassion in my heart, along with my love for you, your wife or future wife, and my future grandchildren and even their children and their children and… well you get the picture. Lead a good life Yusuke and take care of yourself, remember always Yusuke, even if I keep repeating it, I love you, I always will love you Yusuke Roizen Urameshi.

Love,

Your mother, Atsuko Urameshi

-

Yusuke just stared at the letter and the pictures that were in the large envelope that the letter had come in. They were pictures of him and his mother whenever they got along and went out and fun together. He saw pictures of himself when he was only twelve, eleven, ten, and even pictures when he was older than twelve, but younger than ten. There were also pictures of just his mother, him and his mother, but even rarer were pictures of just his father, his father and his mother, him and his father, and all three of them together. Yusuke couldn't hold back the tears that came from his eyes, nor would he. He let them fall freely as he cried to himself, finally coming to accept that she was gone, but not completely, she would always be with him in his heart and spirit. It was then he heard the noise of someone who had been watching him. Looking up he saw that it was Kagome and that her friends were busy being led the long way around to the shrine's exit.

"Yusuke, are you okay?" asked Kagome softly.

"No," whispered Yusuke hoarsely. "I miss her so much Kagome, I never got to tell her fully how I felt about her. I never got to tell her how much I hated the fights we had and how that each time we did have a fight I felt like she didn't love me. But now… it's just so hard Kagome."

"Shh, it's okay Yusuke, just let it all out," said Kagome as she wrapped her arms around Yusuke soothingly as he just broke down crying into he shoulder.

-

Inuyasha had been walking around the shrine when he heard Yusuke crying. He was going to go and mock him, about how he was such a big and strong Youkai, but after hearing him speak to Kagome, he couldn't bring himself to do it. He just walked away and felt the pain in his own heart about loosing his mother. They had both lost loved ones, even if it wasn't the same way, even if they had different relationships with their mothers. Inuyasha had always gotten along with his mother, but he lost her at a young age, while Yusuke had been with her most of his life and then suddenly had her ripped away from him. It was such thoughts that led Inuyasha to sympathize with Yusuke, both were orphans, but Yusuke's pain was greater, he had chance to meet and live with both his parents and remember them as well. While he only remember his mother, not remembering his father. He found himself in the kitchen just standing there as Mizu, Shiori, and Kikyo looked at him oddly.

"It's Yusuke, I overheard him crying and went to mock like I would anybody else, but…"

"We know Inuyasha, Atsuko was a very special friend to us. Her husband was forced to leave her, just to keep her and Yusuke safe. When Yusuke was ten there had been a falling out of sorts with him and his mother. The rarely got along after that point, when they did get along it was something very special," said Shiori.

"Shiori's right Inuyasha, what you did took more guts, then going up against anyone who insults you or try's to fight you," said Mizu. "It shows that your becoming more mature, Yusuke always use his immaturity as a front for his true maturity and feelings. You can see it in his eyes that he regrets much, but pushes forward for those counting on him and for those he cares about very much."

"Inuyasha, look at it like this: he lost his mother after they had just begun to get along almost all the time. He was heartbroken, because his mother died in his arms. He was furious, not just at himself, but as Naraku and his mother too. He felt guilty, why because he was angry at his mother, when there was nothing she could have done to stop what happened to her. He was grief stricken, but had a job to, so that no one else would have to suffer the way he suffered and still is. Inuyasha he has shown wisdom, maturity, and compassion beyond his years, beyond even your father's years. He has shown something that only comes with tragedy, grief, and guilt, but he is pulling through it slowly, because he is not ready to let go yet. Even though he knows he must let go otherwise he will drown in the sorrow and pain of the past," said Kikyo as Inuyasha and the other two women looked at her in surprise. "I wasn't always training to be a miko during my childhood you know. I studied many philosophies during my childhood and became very wise as I studied the behavior of humans and Youkai alike. It was when I was ten, that I decided to use my knowledge and skills as a Miko."

-

Kagome just sat there trying to soothe Yusuke, while he just cried on her shoulder. She could feel her heart break just listening to Yusuke cry. She loved him dearly and would do anything to make him happy. When Yusuke lifted his head and she got a good look at his face, her heart broke again and face showed how she felt at the moment looking at Yusuke.

"It's alright Yusuke," said Kagome. "Everything's going to be alright now."

"Thank you Kagome," whispered Yusuke as he just leaned against her and fell asleep.

She smiled softly as Yusuke fell asleep lying against her chest, it was cute to her. She felt that Yusuke was at peace more than he had been in a very long time. Softly running her fingers through Yusuke's non-gelled hair she found it to be rather soft, almost like silk. Kissing his forehead softly she felt him snuggle up closer to her, causing her to just smile as she held him, her arms wrapped around him protectively. She saw the letter on the ground and picked it up, though curious as to what it said, she would respect Yusuke's privacy as she put it and the pictures into the large envelope.

"I love you Yusuke," said Kagome softly as she saw a gentle smile spread across his face.

"I know, I love you too," said Yusuke as he sat up.

"Do you feel any better?" asked Kagome softly.

"Much… Kagome thanks for respecting my privacy, but I want you to read the letter. It can help you understand how I felt and still do," said Yusuke softly as he brushed her bangs out of her face. "You're so beautiful. I don't know what I would do without you Kagome. You're the only person I want to be with right now."

Kagome just smiled as she pulled out the letter and began reading it. You could see the tears that dwelled up in her eyes as she read the letter. When she finished the letter she was on the verge of tears and said, "Beautiful, absolutely beautiful."

"Did it have similar effect on you?" asked Yusuke as Kagome just nodded wiping away the tears in her eyes.

"It's beautiful Yusuke. You could actually feel the love, the despair, the hope, the serenity, and the sincerity in the letter. I felt like it was me she was talking to," said Kagome as she put the letter away.

"I know, I'm just glad that she can at least be with my old man again," said Yusuke with a smile as the two of them stood and went inside.

-

Kurama and Yukina were both out shopping that day, having fun with one another. They had decided to try and find a wedding dress for Yukina. Though they hadn't told anybody, they wanted to have this all planned out before they told anyone. At the current moment they were at the ice cream parlor each having a large cone of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough flavored ice cream.

"I wish they had this back home," said Yukina with a small giggle.

"I know, if they had this back home, there wouldn't be half as many fights. Plus with all the different variety of flavors, it might become very popular," said Kurama.

After they finished their ice cream they went back to shopping for her wedding dress. Finally have three hours of looking through different shops, they came upon an exotic clothes shop, which they both recognized as Makai clothing. The owner of the shop was coincidently an Ice Kitsune from the Makai.

"Welcome, how can I help you?" asked the Ice Kitsune curiously.

"We're looking for a wedding dress," said Yukina softly.

"What type of wedding dress, summer or winter?" asked the Ice Kitsune.

"The type that would cause a normal person to freeze during the winter," said Kurama, catching the Ice Kitsune's curiosity even more.

"I see, those types of wedding dresses. May I see your passports?" asked the Ice Kitsune sternly.

"No, do you know who I am?" asked Kurama curiously.

"You are the Lord of the Southern Lands, since the son of the last Lord was assassinated by Reikai Special Forces. Apparently Enma was trying to take control, but was opposed and the kid was the target since you were away. Forgive me for asking about your passports, but it was a test to see if I needed to leave rather quickly," said the Ice Kitsune. "My name is Tina, now I have several different styles of the Ice Koorime wedding dresses. What color are you looking for?"

"An ice blue one, please," said Yukina. "But I want it to cover all private areas and not show off any parts that need not be seen."

"Ah, that one, yes I have the only one of those. Here, try it on," said Tina as she handed it to Yukina who went into the dressing rooms. "Who's the groom?"

"I am, if you run into anybody else, such as Lord Roizen, do not tell him that we ere here," said Kurama sternly.

"Understood, Kitsune's stick together, even if we are different types," said Tina as she gave Kurama a pat on the back.

"Don't even try and seduce me Tina, I have chosen her as my mate," said Kurama as he showed one of his Death Seeds to her.

"Understood, if you don't mind my saying, I have something that might interest you. It's a treasure that is one of a kind," said Tina slyly.

"No," replied Kurama glaring at her as he showed her another Death Seed, causing her to back off.

When Yukina came out of the dressing room, Kurama's breath was caught in his throat as he looked at her. The dress covered all her sacred areas, but is showed off her curves perfectly, at least to him. It was the perfect color and style for her. The dress itself was an icy blue with the sleeves only covering her elbows and part of her upper arms. It also covered her legs perfectly, revealing only her fee slightly. Around her bust it accented it slightly, but not enough to cause others to hit on her. It wasn't a button or zip up, but it was made to be worn similar to a robe, but a sash would be wrapped around the abdomen and tied in the back, very similar to the human kimono, except this could also be used in battle if the need arose.

"Your beautiful Yukina," said Kurama as he couldn't take his eyes of her, causing her to blush and giggle. "Is it the one you want?"

"Yes, this one will do nicely. By the way Tina, try to seduce my fiancée again and I will personally rip out your hair!" said Yukina as he went back into the changing room, leaving a stunned Tina and Kurama standing there.

"You know not many could threaten a Kitsune like that and get away with it, she's one of a kind alright, take good care of her. You're one lucky Kitsune," said Tina.

"Thank you, now how much is it?" asked Kurama as Yukina came out with the dress.

"It will be about twenty-five Makai Silver Coins," said Tina plainly.

"So about the hundred in the human currency," said Kurama as he paid for it, took the receipt and they left for the Higuraishi Shrine.

"So Kurama shall we tell the others now?" asked Yukina.

"When we get back, we'll tell them, since you want the wedding there and in December it should be easy enough," said Kurama as someone walked by him and bumped him, but Kurama was no amateur and quickly snatched back his wallet. "Amateur."

"Now Kurama, don't be going back to old habits," said Yukina sternly.

"I know, but he took my wallet, so I took it back," said Kurama as Yukina giggled.

"Well look what we have here the amateur thief and the gutter trash," said a woman laughing behind them.

This caused both Yukina and Kurama to stop and look at them, upon seeing it was Keiko, they just turned to leave. However Keiko had others plans in mind as she grabbed Yukina's bag from her hands.

"Give that back now!" snapped Yukina.

"Oh, so the gutter trash does have a bark," said Keiko. "What have we here? Oh, a dress and a pretty one too. I think I'll keep this for my private collection."

"Hand it back to her now Keiko!" snapped Kurama angrily.

"Why? So she can ruin it with her appearance?" asked Keiko as she just smirked at the two. "Fine she can have it back, it's not my style anyway."

Keiko acted like she was handing it back with both hands, but when Yukina reached for it, Keiko ripped it down the center, then threw it on the ground, or more precisely a mud puddle. Smirking at her handy work she turned to leave only to have a hand grab her wrist and turn her around.

"You will pay for this dearly!" said Kurama with the hatred in his voice clearly evident as she shoved her into another mud puddle, making her glare at him venomously. "Go and leave us be!"

Turning to Yukina, he saw her clutching the dress crying her heart out, since her wedding dress was torn and ruined badly. Taking the dress he set it in the bag and they went back to the Higuraishi Shrine, where Yukina took off to her room crying.

"What happened fox!" demanded Yusuke.

"Keiko. She ruined Yukina's new dress, ripping it down the center and then throwing it into a mud puddle and laughing about it," said Kurama as Yukina came down moments later after just running into her room crying her heart out.

"This was one of a kind wasn't it?" said Yusuke.

"Very, it was going to be my wedding dress," said Yukina sniffling.

"Oh! KAGOME!" called Yusuke as she came running in where everything was explained to her.

"That… that… that bitch!" said Kagome causing everyone that heard her come running in to see what he commotion was about, where Kurama and Yukina explained what happened to them.

"She is going to die," said Hiei angrily as his Jagan Eye flared.

"No brother, let her go. She is not worth it," said Yukina as Hiei nodded.

"Can it be repaired?" asked Sango.

"I don't know, I'm going to take it to Youka, she's an old friend of mine and a fellow Silver. Perhaps she can repair it, if not then I will see if she can't make a new one," said Kurama as he held Yukina in his arms trying to reassure her that she would have a beautiful wedding dress and wedding itself without any interference.

-

It was later that afternoon when Yuka herself returned to find that Yusuke hadn't had time to get his friend because of a friends being hurt. She understood and left, leaving Yusuke to ponder why Kuwabara and Keiko would be out of the Sarakaishi district area.

'Damn them, no matter where we go, they seem to try and ruin our lives,' thought Yusuke as he went inside for dinner.

End Flashback

Kagome sighed as she went to talk with Sango about what they were going to do about the traitors as the others called them.

-

Hiei sat on the roof sharpening his katana, thinking about ways to make Keiko and Kuwabaka pay. He would love to torture them, but he didn't want to be separated from his mate, Sango. Looking around he saw Sango beating the punch bag to a pulp. Pretty soon it just collapsed in on itself ripping open from the damage it had been dealt by Sango. Smirking he had another reason why he loved Sango and was glad she was his mate. Making his way to her he scooped her into his arms and ran and top speed to their spot at the clearing they trained at.

"Now Hiei, I don't want to train right now!" said Sango visibly irritated with him.

"Who said anything about training? Fight me!" said Hiei as Sango obliged him and began attacking wildly and rapidly.

Hiei was able to dodge her attacks easily, but the next attack caught him off guard. A low blow had knocked him to his knees where she continued to attack him. He was able to block the blows, but they stung his arms. Every time it looked like she would use a cheap shot move he would dodge out of the way quickly. Soon after hours of fighting both were worn down and Sango a lot more level headed and exhausted.

"Thanks Hiei," said Sango breathing heavily.

"You're welcome Sango," said Hiei as she kissed him fiercely and drove him down to the ground roughly, breaking the kiss only to breathe. "Hmm, feisty tonight aren't you?"

"Shut up and kiss me!" said Sango as Hiei obliged her, but it went beyond them kissing as Hiei started to undress Sango and her like wise.

"I love you Sango," said Hiei.

"I know and I love too," said Sango as they started kissing again and enjoying the pleasures of their love for one another.

-

A/N: Well that's it for chapter nine, I hope you like it. Now if there are any recommendations for this chapter, I will go back and see if I can fit them into the chapter. Otherwise I may just put them into the next chapter. Now here are a few questions:

What did you think of this chapter?

What should happen in the next chapter?

Should the traitors get what they deserve in the next chapter or next few chapters?

If so what should happen to them?

Note: Above question is run off the question above it if the answer is yes.

Well that's it for now, I hope you'll all review me, I'm only getting reviews from about two people now, Crazy Hyper Lady and cookiiex. Oh well, at least I'm still getting reviews. By the Way Crazy hyper lady, I'm thinking about incorporating your ideas from your last review into the next chapter,s ince I ahd already started writing this chapter when i got your review. Now until the next chapter, have fun reading this one.

Shadow Kage

* * *


	10. Revelations IV: Payback and Weddings

A/N: Here it is; the second chapter in a line of chapters I told you that are coming. Now I've gotten several requests to make the traitors pay for their deeds. Also for any misunderstandings that may have occurred while reading the previous chapter, Kuwabaka does not own the stores that Sango and Hiei went to for her. I may have neglected to mention this sooner, but to help clear things up Kuwabaka and Keiko, are friends of the store owners and managers. Now as not to give away this chapter, here it is chapter ten!

Chapter Ten: Revelations IV: Payback and Weddings

Two Months Later

It had been two months since they had last run into the traitors. Yuka stopped by every now and then to try and get to know everyone better, while the others seemed to distance themselves from her. Kagome smiled as she and Yuka parted ways after a day of fun, rest, and relaxation. She still hadn't met Jin, mainly because he was helping Genkai out at her shrine, while she "negotiated" with Koenma about the others having a permanent stay in the Ningenkai. Kagome hadn't met Genkai, but from what Jin had told them about her type of negotiations, one had to fell sorry for Koenma. It was strange though, Yakumo hadn't shown his face, since the battle with Naraku and Enma was being quite as well. It made everyone a bit nervous, but they still enjoyed their everyday lives. Kagome herself was beginning to show her pregnancy and knew that hers and Yusuke's child would be very strong and caring. Just like the two of them, though he or she wouldn't begin training until they were three or four years old, two at the earliest and five at the latest. They had finally set a date for their wedding, which was in two weeks, around the same time as Yukina and Kurama's wedding. Only theirs would be indoors, instead of outdoors.

'I can't help but wonder if we really should move, but then again I can't just leave mother,' thought Kagome as she went back to her chores. 'Ever since I began to show, Yusuke has been very over protective of me and our unborn child. He insists that I take it easy and not over due it or do anything risky, I can't really blame him though. It's his Toushin instincts and his fatherly instincts that tell him to protect us.'

"Hey Kagome," said Yusuke as he wrapped his arms around her. "How are you two doing? Need anything?"

"Everything's fine Yusuke, we're doing very well, but I could use a bit of fresh air away from the shrine. All of my clothes are barely fitting me anymore, because of this pregnancy, not that I'm complaining about it, but I could use a new wardrobe," said Kagome sweetly to Yusuke giving him her best puppy dog eyes.

"Alright, you win! Just cut it with the puppy dog eyes! I hate it when you do that," said Yusuke with a sigh.

"But you still love me for it, right?" asked Kagome.

"Always, until the end of time itself," said Yusuke as he grabbed her jacket and helped her put it on, then grabbed his own and took the trolley, the others had put it up to help Kagome and Botan down from the shrine, so they wouldn't have to walk on the hundreds of slippery and dangerous steps. "Botan, if anybody asks, Kagome and I went out on a date! Oh, and tell Jin to get his ass over here, so he can meet Yuka!"

"Okay Yusuke, have fun you two!" said Botan as she went to let everyone know.

At the Mall

"So Kagome, what do you want to do first? See the movie or do some shopping?" asked Yusuke curiously.

"Let's see the movie, then we'll go shopping, and then we can get something warm to heat," said Kagome as Yusuke let out a sigh of relief jokingly. "Come on it's not that bad, shopping with me!"

"Really, what about the time you spent over two hundred dollars with just clothes for you and Kikyo? Then there's the time you tried to get me to wear that one outfit that I completely detested, getting you mad at me, then forcing me to apologize in front of everyone before you let me back into bed with you, now what would you call that?" asked Yusuke curiously as Kagome just looked at blankly before giggling.

"Okay, I admit, I can be a bit over zealous at times, but still you had it coming mister!" said Kagome poking her finger into his chest. "Maybe next time or tonight I won't let you into bed for a year!"

"Come on! That is being unfair," said Yusuke as Kagome just giggled at his response.

"You know I'm just joking, I couldn't hold that to you and you know it," said Kagome as they walked over to the movie theatre. "There's nothing good playing!"

"What about that movie you wanted to see? That romance one?" asked Yusuke.

"Kikyo and Inuyasha went and saw that, she told me it was just altered advertising for a dirty movie," said Kagome testily.

"Sorry, I didn't know, Inuyasha didn't say a thing to me about it," said Yusuke.

"That's because at times Inuyasha can have a one track mind," said Kagome.

"You mean to tell me he actually liked it? No wonder he was sleeping on the couch for a week, Kikyo must have been pretty steamed with him," said Yusuke.

"Oh, she was, he wanted to make love with her that night, the same way they did in the movie. The result was that Inuyasha nearly got his 'pride' broken in half," said Kagome with a smirk, as Yusuke caught her subtle hint at her meaning and cringed at the mere thought of that happening to somebody.

"Okay, so how about we just get the shopping done, we go out for something warm to eat, and then we rent a movie or something," said Yusuke as Kagome gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "I'll take that as a yes."

The first store they hit was a lingerie shop, which caused Yusuke to start cracking his knuckles and glaring at anybody who even looked towards Kagome. When they finished their, Yusuke was stuck carrying a very large and thick bag. Their next stop was a clothing store that specified in helping women who were pregnant, whether it was night gowns, everyday clothing, or something formal or casual. Yusuke ended up carrying two bags from there, while Kagome herself glared at all the women staring at Yusuke like he was their dream man. The last store they went to Kagome was trying on clothes for after she gave birth, so she could have something new to wear.

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" asked a young woman with brown hair with a tall ugly orange haired guy.

"None of ya damn business lady, now leave me alone," replied Yusuke testily.

"Oh? And why would I do that? Hmm?" asked the woman.

"I don't know, maybe 'cause I asked nicely?" replied Yusuke.

"Let me think… no," said the woman.

"Fine, keep bugging me, but I'm out of here real soon," said Yusuke.

"Oh, before you paid for what your carrying?" asked the woman.

"Lady I don't know who you, nor do I give a damn, but what I'm carrying right now is bought and paid for already. I have the receipts to prove it, now if your going to accuse me of trying to steal, then you better be prepared to back your accusations up with evidence," said Yusuke angrily.

"My, my, such a short temper. Honey, would you please show this gentleman the proper way to address me?" said the lady.

"You lay one hand on me and I swear I will break your damn arm," said Yusuke as the man just grunted in response and decided to attempt for the bags instead of Yusuke himself. "Go for the bags, and I'll break both your arms, then I'll crack your balls."

The man hesitated as the woman who had been annoying Yusuke decided to make a go for the bags. However she was stopped mid-stride by a slap to the face.

"What the hell do you think your doing lady!" demanded a furious Kagome.

"Just trying to lead this fine looking young man back to my apartment," said the lady.

"Bullshit, Yusuke would never follow the likes of you anywhere!" said Kagome angrily as the woman stepped back in shock as a cruel twisted smile played on her face.

"Well then, if that's his name, you should know, that I was his first," said the lady.

"So you're the bitch Keiko Ukimura, who went behind his back!" snapped Kagome as the woman just paled, seeing her plan fall to pieces.

"I didn't know you were such a good actress, Keiko. You nearly had me fooled with that American Southern accent, why don't you move there, you'd fit right in with that accent of yours," said Yusuke.

"You knew all along, didn't you?" snapped Keiko.

"Yeah, but you see, you don't effect me anymore. I've moved on with my life and have decided to just leave you in the past. I don't love you, I'm not heart broken anymore, and I'm not angry with you anymore, at least not for the reasons that involved us in a relationship anyway. Now I've heard plenty of complaints about what you've been doing to members of the Tantei and their loved ones. Such as Yukina's dress, Sango's dress, and the accusations against Sango," said Yusuke sternly. "Now those I'm mad at you for, but you have Koenma to thank that I didn't hunt you down after the incident with Yukina and make you suffer."

"Why should we thank Koenma?" asked Keiko.

"Because it's his laws, that keep you alive, at least keep you alive when it concerns Youkai. Any with Youkai blood are forbidden to hunt little humans like you Keiko. Youkai like humans, their not all evil and have it for humans, but it's the ones like you that make many of us what to exterminate all of you," said Yusuke as Kagome made mental notes to remember what Yusuke was saying. "Now if you don't mind, I'd like to pay for whatever my fiancée wishes to purchase and then we can be on our way."

"But–"

"No buts Keiko, you had your chance and you threw it away. Now if you don't mind and if your finished sweetie, we can buy the items you want and be on our way," said Yusuke as Kagome nodded as they purchased the items and left, leaving a dumbfounded Keiko and Kuwabaka standing in the store.

The Restaurant

"I can't believe you did that to her!" said Kagome giggling as Yusuke chuckled as well.

"I know, I thought for sure I would have snapped and made her suffer," said Yusuke. "But all in all, I'm glad I didn't snap. Because now I get the privilege and honor of eating dinner with a fine and beautiful, not too mention breath taking, young lady."

"Where is she?" asked Kagome jokingly as she pretended to search the restaurant for her.

"I'm hurt Kagome, do you really think I'd do that you?" asked Yusuke in mock hurt and sadness as Kagome just giggled at his actions.

"No, I know you mean me and thank you for the compliment Yusuke. But don't forget I get to have the honor and privilege of eating dinner with a fine and incredibly handsome, not to mention incredibly breath taking, young man," said Kagome.

"Where is he? I'll break his nose," said Yusuke jokingly as Kagome chuckled before kissing Yusuke on the lips. "I guess I'll have to break my own nose then."

That comment caused Kagome to start giggling again as Yusuke just smirked at her. A couple of minutes late their food arrived and they dug in. When they finished the meal, they paid the bill and left for the Higuraishi Shrine, to tell the others about their evening. When they arrived home, everyone had just finished cleaning up after dinner.

"Hey Kagome, Yusuke," said Botan giving her two friends a hug. "Everyone is dieing to know how your evening went."

"Better hope they don't really die or you might have to get a temporary job with Koenma just to escort them to the Reikai for a second chance," said Yusuke jokingly as Botan kicked him. "Alright, I get it, that wasn't funny, I'm sorry!"

"That's better, now into the living room, the children have been put to bed already," said Botan as she led them into the living room. "Now first off, since everyone who wanted to hear about their evening is present, what did you do first?"

"Well we were going to go see a movie, but all they had playing were horror flicks at that so-called Romance Movie," said Kagome as Inuyasha looked at the floor blushing as Kikyo whacked him up side the head. "If you want to know about ask Kikyo and men don't even ask Inuyasha about it. If you and you try and pull what was in that movie on any one of us without our consent, we will break your 'pride' in half!"

"I think they got the picture with Kikyo hitting Inuyasha up side the head Kagome," said Yusuke as the other men just nodded in agreement.

"Okay, now, we decided to skip the movie and went straight to shopping, so I could get some new clothes for during and after the pregnancy. While at the Lingerie Shop, Yusuke would crack his knuckles and give death glares, ones that would make Hiei's death glares look like puppy dog eyes, at any and every male who even looked in my direction, even a few women who try to look me over," said Kagome as she started laughing as did the other girls, while the men kept their mouths shut. "Anyway it was all really flattering and when went to the last store, a brunette with an American Southern accent, being accompanied by a big ugly orange haired guy, started annoying Yusuke. Who can guess what the shocking part was?"

"The ugly one was really a woman?" asked Botan as Miroku seconded her response.

"The brunette was really a man?" asked Kikyo as Inuyasha went green at the thought.

"They were both men and lovers?" asked Ayame with Kouga going green now as he and Inuyasha ran from the house and started puking in the woods.

"They were both women and lovers?" asked Yukina as Kurama and Miroku nearly fell out of theirs eats at that response.

"They were the traitors trying to get under Yusuke's skin, but when they found he was involved with you the brunette tried to make you think that Yusuke was going to be unfaithful. Then she would brag about being his first and Yusuke or you would interrupt her revealing who they are and then a heated discussion would occur. Either the big oaf was left with bodily injuries or they were left where they were looking stupid," said Sango as Kagome and Yusuke looked at her.

When Inuyasha and Kouga finally came back in, they grabbed a bottle of mouth wash and toothpaste, along with a tooth brush and started cleaning their breath and mouth. When they finished they heard Sango's response and then quite.

"Okay, the first response was incorrect; the ugly one really was a guy. The second response was incorrect; the brunette really is a girl. The third response was partially incorrect, only one was a male. The fourth response was partially incorrect, only one was a female. The fifth response was practically right on the money," said Kagome. "Did you two follow us and spy on us tonight!"

"No," said Sango. "It was just a good guess, besides I figured something like that might happen sooner or later."

"Well, good guess, they were both left unharmed, for now. But until somebody gets into contact with Koenma, we have to go by the no hurting humans law at our weddings," said Kagome as a knock broke the silence. "Who's there?"

"King Koenma of the Reikai, Miss Higuraishi," replied Koenma.

"Come in," said Kagome. "What can we do for you?"

"I'm here about your official request for a temporary disbandment of the no hurting human's law at your weddings. I've decided to grant it only to two shrines, this one and Genkai's shrine. The only thing is it's going to be permanent and will last as long as these shrines are up and running and being lived at by any of you or your descendants. That means that if, say Kuwabaka or Keiko, decides to crash your weddings somehow, you would be able to inflict injury upon them legally. You just can't kill them, that is a law that won't be disbanded, but I've also fond a loop hole in these two laws. It says nothing about a Reikan hurting or killing humans to be illegal, but after each of you are mated and/or married, the laws will also extend to Reikan as well," said Koenma as he left, but not before leaving behind the official documents they needed to have at their wedding's to hurt Kuwabaka and Keiko if they somehow decide to crash their wedding's.

-

Hiei stood on a tree branch in the Holy Tree looking out across the forest behind the shrine and towards the busy street in front of the shrine. He had a nagging feeling that something was up, that something was wrong, that not all seemed as it was or should. His suspicions were confirmed when he saw a smirking Koenma leave the shrine. Instead of simply opening a portal to the Reikai, he kept on walking, he went down the steps slipping a few times, causing Hiei to smirk, but his smirk soon turned into a full blown scowl of anger and distrust as he saw Koenma meet up with the traitors at the shrine entrance from the street. Moving closer, careful not to be seen, he overheard part of their conversation with one another.

"It's done, are you happy now?" asked Koenma irritably.

"Immensely," replied Keiko. "They won't know what hit them when they attack us on the day we crash their wedding. I'm sure you have an invitation correct?"

"Yes, what about it?" asked Koenma curiously.

"Simple, what day is the wedding, so we can crash it?" asked Kuwabaka.

"Two weeks from now, on Thursday," said Koenma. "You do your part and I will guarantee your protection from the Reikai against Ningen and Youkai alike, along with the inhabitants of the Reikai for your entire family and descendants too."

"Then we are agreed, when they attack us, they will be arrested by the Reikai for attacking us and for holding stolen and counterfeit Reikai documents," said Keiko as Koenma nodded in agreement. "Look at it like this, since Yusuke no longer works for you, he is a free agent and is too dangerous to be left alone or have offspring. If his fiancée is pregnant, just kill her for defying the Reikai and for breaking its laws."

"Very well, I will see you again in two weeks," said Koenma as he simply disappeared into the Reikai and the traitors went about their way.

Rushing back to the shrine he saw the papers in Kagome's hands and snatched them from her lighting them on fire.

"HIEI!" snapped Kagome.

"Koenma is in league with the traitors, I saw them conversing at the shrine entrance from the road. Those documents would have had you killed Kagome, Yusuke arrested, and the rest of us arrested and/or killed too. Move up the wedding date, the traitors know when it is and are planning on crashing it," said Hiei in a tone that left no room for argument or discussion. "Yusuke, it's time to call in all our favors with the Reikai."

"I never wanted to use them, but we have no choice. Botan, you're coming with us, you're a direct descendant of the first Reikan's. This makes you eligible to appoint someone else to rule the Reikai, if we get the other Reikai Governors to help you. Remember the snotty brat that hated Koenma more than I do? Well hell is about to be unleashed upon the Reikai by us," said Yusuke as Botan nodded in understanding.

"Yusuke what are you going to do?" asked Kagome.

"Simple, I'm forcing Koenma off the throne as King of the Reikai. Since he wants to stab me in the back after all I've done for him, then he's going to get what he deserves," said Yusuke smirking.

"Make sure you make it to where he will suffer a long time!" said Kagome.

The Reikai Council Building – The Reikai

Yusuke, Hiei, Kurama, Botan, and Chuu of all people burst through into the full council room, where the Reikan's were whispering about their being Youkai in the building.

"Alright all ye blokes, shut yer traps and listen up! We got an announcement to make!" yelled Chuu into the microphone.

"Why should we listen to you!" yelled one Reikan.

"Because if you don't I will personally come over there and do what I did to Enma!" snapped Yusuke loud enough to cause the entire room to fall quite. "Now who here remembers the Reikan/Youkai War about five hundred years ago?"

"Everyone present remembers that war! We barely won, but not before our kind were severely reduced in number by your kind!" said a Reikan.

"Who started the war?" asked Yusuke.

"The Youkai did, by trying to kill one of our own! Then Enma and Koenma organized us and we retaliated against the Youkai!" said the Reikan.

"What if I told you the Youkai see it as the Reikan attacked one of them and they retaliated? We've both been lied to and it was by Enma's jealousy and hatred of the Youkai that nearly led both races to extinction and the near enslavement of the humans! Tell me who has ruled the Reikai for the past five hundred years with an iron fist?" roared Yusuke angrily.

"ENMA!" called one Reikan.

"YES! HIM AND KOENMA, BOTH! Now Koenma conspires to have me arrested for attacking two humans that would crash my wedding to my human mate! He would then have her killed, because she is carrying my child! If I have to organize the entire Makai against the Koenma I will and there will be a second Youkai/Reikan or Reikan/Youkai War, which ever way you want to say it! But I will not allow Koenma to tell me one thing to my face and mean another thing! He gives me documents that have now been destroyed that would allow me to legally attack these two who would interrupt my mates happiness and my own, but then have me arrested for having so-called stolen and counterfeit documents, along with attacking humans!" yelled Yusuke as the entire room began to talk in murmurs. "I won't stand for it! Tell me, if someone or someone's threatened to ruin your wedding, would you attack them, if necessary, to get them to go and leave you alone!"

"YES! If someone or someone's tried that I on me, I would attack them! I don't know about the rest of you, but it seems to me that the Reikai Government is nothing but a front now! Koenma is the current king and he is more a dictator than a real king! I say we force him from the throne and do as the humans do in some parts of the Ningenkai!" yelled a Reikai as dozens more seconded him in his response. "Now who here has suffered from Enma and Koenma's rule? Who here has even benefited from their rule?"

"I can answer that! My name is Botan, former Navigator of the River of Styx for Enma and Koenma. I am a Reikan just like all of you, but I am also the fiancée of a human! I have been in shunned in my family for as long as I can remember, along with the other females of my family. All we want is to be equal with the Reikan male's and be allowed to live freely and work in any department! I left the Reikai services, because I fell in love and nearly lost him! However now I am threatened with treason against the Reikai, all for standing with my friends and my love! If that is the way of the Reikai, then I must say that I ashamed to be a Reikan! Even the Youkai are better than us, they have a female ruler, who is equal among the four rulers of the Makai! Two of them stand before you this very day! One of them is the brother in-law of the Lord of the Western Lands of the Feudal Era's half-brother, by mating with their adopted sister, whose life is threatened by Koenma himself! Tell me would any of you like to fight Youkai Lord's, especially a Toushin with Youki and Reiki, an Inu Youkai hanyou, Yoko Kurama, the wielder of the Dragon of the Darkness Flame, and all those they fought in the Dark Tournament?" yelled Botan as many Reikan's were now talking loudly with one another.

"I am prepared to start war against the Reikai if need be, but I would rather you just force Koenma off the throne and appoint someone who has done more for the Reikai than Enma and Koenma have in the past millennium!" said Yusuke as the entire room of Reikan cheered their agreement. "Who among the Reikan has done the most for all of you and has been branded by Enma and/or Koenma as committing treason without even doing so?"

"Trima has! She attempted to help Reikan children grow up learning the old ways and the current ways. The ways before Enma's rule, during the time of her ancestor Trema!" said one Reikan. "It was always said that Enma killed Trema and took the throne for himself!"

"Then bring her before me and Botan, direct descendant of one of the first Reikan's!" said Yusuke as the entire room started applauding. "Let this mark the beginning of a new age between the Reikai and the Makai! Let this mark the start of a new era!"

The entire room or rather the entire building started applauding at Yusuke's last statement and Botan just smiled happily at finally getting some recognition.

"But, don't do this for the Youkai or humans! Do this for the Reikan's, both male and female alike! Botan here has told me this is her greatest wish, that she be treated as an equal and that all Reikan's act more like protectors, guides, allies, and friends that they once were to the Youkai and humans so many centuries ago!" yelled Yusuke.

"Miss Botan, I am Kage, it is a pleasure to finally meet you," said Kage. "Many Reikan's have all been moved by your utter defiance of Enma and Koenma, to stick by your friends and loved ones. We have all voted unanimously that you be cleared of all charges and have the full benefits of the Reikai Laws, along with every other Reikan female. As we speak Reikai Special Forces loyal to upholding the law and protecting humans are arresting Koenma on charges of conspiracy to kill humans, conspiracy of fraudulent Law making, and for treason against the Reikai."

"Before I leave, I have one thing to remind all of you! If I find out that you lied to me and did the same thing as Koenma did to me, then I will personally come back and kill every single one of you for being just like Koenma and Enma. Does that sound fair to all of you?" said Yusuke as they all agreed that it would be fair. "You're not as dumb as many are led to believe you are."

So Yusuke and the others watched as Koenma was banished from the Reikai and stripped of all his titles, possessions, except his clothing, and then banished to the Ningenkai.

"After all I did for you Yusuke, this how you repay me!" spat Koenma angrily.

"You should have thought about that, before you decided to go behind my back Koenma! We have a witness that saw you conversing and in alliance with the traitors Koenma," said Yusuke as Koenma's eyes widened and being discovered. "Next time, don't meet them at the shrine and by the way, you're un-invited to the wedding."

Yusuke did the one thing he had always wanted to do to Koenma, which was hit Koenma in the stomach, really hard. Koenma was left gasping for air as Yusuke walked away to a portal that would take him back to the Ningenkai. Waiting for him and the others was Trima (Try-ma), the new ruler of the Reikai.

"Thank you for helping restore the Reikai to its former glory. We are indebted to you Yusuke Urameshi," said Trima sincerely.

"Make an alliance with the rulers of the Makai and we'll call it even ma'am. You just have to deal with the other three, since you already got me," said Yusuke as he went through the portal into the Ningenkai.

"You have the alliance of the Southern Lands as well," said Kurama as he walked through, followed by Chuu, Botan, and Hiei.

Ningenkai – Higuraishi Shrine

"Kagome, I'm back!" called Yusuke as he walked into the house and paled instantly.

Written in red on the wall was a message:

-

Dear Yusuke and Tantei,

If you want to see your mates and children alive again, come to the Sarakaishi High School without any weapons. We'll be waiting for you there.

From,

The so-called traitors

-

"THOSE BASTARDS!" roared Yusuke as he ran towards the Sarakaishi District.

When the others saw the message, Chuu immediately decided that it was time to get Kuwabaka's sister involved, which meant Kuwabaka was going to be in some major pain. Kurama, Hiei, and Botan all ran after Yusuke as fast as they could, but were not able to catch up, due to his head start. When they arrived Sarakaishi High School, Yusuke, Chuu, Shizuru (Kuwabaka's sis), and Jin were all ready to fight.

"Well it seems you're all here now," said Keiko deviously as she held a knife to Kagome's throat. "One wrong move and I slit her throat and press this button, which means you can say goodbye to your mates and children!"

"Why are you doing this to us? Haven't we suffered enough?" asked Yusuke.

"You mean you don't remember?" asked Keiko as Yusuke shook his head no. "You left for years without even a word and I fell in love with Kazuma here. But when you came back, I was torn between you two. When you proposed to me, I knew then that you just wanted to keep me from anybody else, all to your greedy little self!"

"Of course I did! I loved you Keiko, I was willing to die a third time for you! I got a job, I finished High School early, with honors at that, and at the same time I took care of my ill mother, while still making room for you in my life! I loved you deeply Keiko, I wanted to have a family with you! But you destroyed that Keiko! You went behind my back and slept with him, in our bed! You broke my heart Keiko, after we broke up I took care of my mother, while still trying to fix things between us! I would ignore my job, jus to make you happy, when we got back together I was happy!" said Yusuke as tears were rolling down his face. "But you did it again! You slept with him again and again! You even went as far as to tell me that I was just a disgusting freak! That tore it for me Keiko, you remember don't you when I caught you the first time, I exploded outwards? Well, this time I exploded inwards and nearly killed myself! That's when I decided to try and help my mother as my number one priority!"

"So what, your mother was a disgusting, drunken, whore!" said Keiko. "Don't forget Yusuke that you cheated on me as well!"

"I never did and you know it!" snapped Yusuke.

"But you did, with this little whore here! Now she is going to die!" said Keiko.

"You left me Keiko, whether you remember it or not, you left me! I was civil to you, I was polite to you, but I hated you! I hated you with a fiery passion, so much that I moved my mother and me to another district, where she could rest peacefully and recover! I'll tell you now Keiko, when she died I was devastated, I was all alone then, both my parents were dead, the love of my life I hated so much that it wasn't funny! All I had was my job with Koenma, my friends, and my job at the Higuraishi Shrine to keep me going," said Yusuke with so much hatred in his voice that it shocked Kagome. "I'll tell you now Keiko, I hate you, I loathe you! You aren't the girl I fell in love with all those years ago, somewhere along the way she went away and you took her place! The girl I loved was king, gentle, loving, but was very serious about her friends! She never wanted to see them hurt, even if it was for her! You on the other hand are her exact opposite! I don't love you! I hate you with a passion!"

"You bastard, how could you say those things about me!" snapped Keiko.

"Look at yourself and what your doing, then look me in the eye and tell me this is the Keiko Ukimura I knew from Junior High and part of High School!" said Yusuke sternly.

Keiko looked at herself and remembered all the good times and then looked Yusuke in the eye and said, "It is, just the part that was never shown in public! This is the part of me that hated and loved you at the same time! This is the part of me that will do anything to get her point across, even if it means killing this woman and her unborn child."

"That unborn child is my offspring Keiko! I swear to you if you hurt Kagome or our unborn child, I will personally kill you!" said Yusuke as the venom coated his voice, made Kagome's eyes widen in fear of Yusuke and made her wonder if she did love Yusuke or if it was just infatuation with him. "Now please for the love of all that is good and merciful, please let her go! I can't bear to loose another person I love. I love her Keiko, please let her go!"

Yusuke was now on the ground begging Keiko as tears rolled down his face as he admitted his deepest fears. Kagome herself was scared and wondering about her feelings or Yusuke, but something deep down inside of her, at her very core told her that she did in fact love Yusuke with all her heart and soul.

"No, she dies!" said Keiko as she moved the knife.

"NO!" screamed Yusuke as his eyes widened in fear and anguish as Keiko moved the knife across Kagome's throat.

A split second, that was all it took for Yusuke to sudden charge like there was no tomorrow and grab the knife and pull it away from Kagome's throat, before it cut it open and killed her. A split second was all it took for Yusuke to grab the knife and shattered it with his bare hands and then blast Keiko into the brick wall with his Reiki and Youki simultaneously and cradle Kagome in his arms beg her not to leave him, not to die.

"Please Kagome, don't die, don't leave me," cried Yusuke as Kagome awoke to see Yusuke holding her in his arms and crying.

The sight broke her heart, because she knew she was the reason for him to be crying like he was. Slowly and weakly she lifted a hand to his face and brushed away his tears. That was all it took for Yusuke to hold her tightly against him as he whimpered into her ear his thankfulness that she was still alive and that their unborn child was still alive too.

"Please don't ever scare me like that again Kagome," said Yusuke as Kagome nodded and kissed him passionately on the lips.

When the Reikai officials arrived, it was explained that Keiko Ukimura and Kazuma Kuwabara were holding the mates of Youkai hostage and threatened to kill them. In nearly killing Kagome Higuraishi, Yusuke snapped and blasted Keiko Ukimura, after he took the knife way from her and shattered it with his bare hands. It was deemed a matter that was justified in saving the lives of humans, children, and unborn children, thus no charges were to be brought against Yusuke and there would be no marks on his record for the incident.

-

Kuwabaka had been lucky enough to sneak downstairs to where the rest of the hostages were being held, but soon came face to face with his sister. For Kuwabaka it was the scariest thing that could ever happen to him or anybody else.

"So little brother, you thought you and your little slut wife cold get Yusuke and the others back by kidnapping their mates, their children, and then holding them hostage, huh? Well I got news for you baby brother, you are going to find out the true meaning of pain, especially since you're an adult now," said Shizuru as she smirked and began to pummel Kuwabaka and was quick enough to unchain Sango, who joined in the fight of making Kuwabaka pay.

"AAHHH!" screamed Kuwabaka loudly.

-

Two Weeks Later – Higuraishi Shrine

Yusuke Urameshi stood at the front of the aisle with Hiei next to him as his best man, while Inuyasha, Kouga, and Shippo were the groom's men. Soon the music started and the bride's maids and flower girls, Sango, Ayame, Kikyo, and Yukina, came down the aisle sprinkling flowers across the floor. Finally came Kagome in a full blown wedding dress, being escorted Kurama down the aisle by Kurama. Yusuke smiled warmly as the best day of his life was at hand, he was finally going to be married to Kagome. They had both agreed that Miroku and Genkai would conduct the ceremony, with Genkai merely as a supervisor for Miroku when he got stuck. When Kurama and Kagome walked up to the alter Kurama handed Kagome off to Yusuke who gladly took her arm in his.

"Dearly beloved we are gathered here today to witness the marriage of these two people. Marriage is a sacred union, which should never be taken lightly, between two people who love each other deeply. Who gives this woman away?" said Miroku as Kurama merely raised his hand as Miroku acknowledged him. "They have decided on their own vows for one another, miss, you may go."

"Yusuke, the first time I met you, I thought you were just another guy trying to score with me. I thought you were trying to get into my bed with me and then you'd leave me. I've said some pretty horrible things to you, but that's behind us now. I've even doubted if it was truly love, I felt for you, not the kind between siblings or between a parent and a child, but between two lovers. In the end I found that it is love that I feel for you, I would be honored to be your wife, I love you Yusuke Urameshi," said Kagome as Kagome's mother and a few other women started crying and Miroku motioned for Yusuke to start.

"Kagome, the moment I saw you, I was in love. I had just recently come from a very bitter break up. My mother was ill and I was taking care of her, trying t make her comfortable and happy, yet at the same time I wanted to do the same for you, to make you comfortable, happy, to know that you loved me back, like I loved you. But you wouldn't even give me the time of day, trying to protect yourself from heart break, or just because you thought I would use you. I guess we both put on the tough guy fronts to try and protect ourselves from being hurt like that again. But in the end it didn't matter if I was a tough guy on the outside, it mattered that I just show you unconditional love and faithfulness. We both said some pretty rotten things to each other, but we were able to overcome them together and here we are together and about to be married, I just want, no need you to know, I love you with all my heart Kagome Higuraishi," said Yusuke as a tear fell even from Hiei, who had never heard anything as beautiful as what Yusuke and Kagome had just said to each other.

"Kagome, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband? To love and to hold, in sickness and in health, in good and bad times, as long as you both shall live, 'til death do you part?" asked Miroku.

"I do," replied Kagome.

"Yusuke, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife? To love and to hold, in sickness and in health, in good and bad times, as long as you both shall live, 'til death do you part?" asked Miroku.

"I do," replied Yusuke.

"Then by the power invested in me, I hereby pronounce you man and wife! You may kiss the bride," said Miroku as Genkai just smiled at job well done by Miroku.

Yusuke leaned over to Kagome and gently kissed her lips as everyone started cheering, whistling, and clapping. When they pulled apart they were both blushing as they went down aisle outside, where Kagome tossed the bouquet over her head backwards. The one to catch had been Kouga as he blinked in confusion at why everyone was happy for him.

"It means, you're the next to get married Kouga," said Botan as Kouga quickly tossed it out of his hands, where Sango caught it and was congratulated by everyone.

"I'm already married by Youkai standards," said Kouga as he pulled Ayame over to him and gave her a deep passionate kiss. "That's just a sample of what to look forward to later tonight."

Ayame blushed and playfully punched Kouga as Kagome and the rest of the girls, giggled at Ayame's embarrassment. "At least he has guts enough to admit it!" said Ayame with a smirk, causing half the girls to blush.

Kagome just smiled as Yusuke helped her into the waiting limo. Once they were both in they headed off to the airport for their well deserved honeymoon to Hawaii.

-

A/N: Well that's it for chapter ten, I hope you all like the ending for the chapter. The beginning and middle of the next chapter can be something to look forward to. I may not have gotten all the weddings I originally planned to do in this chapter, but this just seemed like the perfect place to leave off at for now.

What did you think of this chapter?

What should happen in the next chapter?

What did you think of what happened to the traitors?

So everyone knows, I deliberately left the part about where Kuwabaka gets beat up by Shizuru (his sis) and Sango vague, this lets you imagine what happened to him. Well have fun reading and I'll try and get the next chapter up as soon as possible. Until then have fun reading and please review.

Shadow Kage

* * *


	11. Love, Faith, and the Wedding

A/N: I would like to thank everyone who has reviewed so far. It has been brought to my attention that I have strayed a bit from my original style of, quote, "letting everyone else share the limelight", unquote. Now this chapter and the next will have minimal, if any, Kagome/Yusuke scenes, they will mainly reflect upon the others. Thank you again for your reviews and your continued support, now onto Chapter Eleven.

Chapter Eleven: Love, Faith, and the Wedding

Hiei and Sango watched carefully as Inuyasha and Kikyo made their move. The two of them had been planning something for a while now, but they weren't sure what. So when Inuyasha and Kikyo made their move, it ended up being the winning move. They were currently playing double team Chess. Inuyasha and Kikyo had just put Hiei and Sango's king in checkmate, causing Hiei to groan as Inuyasha and Kikyo marked another tally under their names. They had won nine out of ten games, which caused Hiei to just get up and leave, annoyed at the game and bored, because the snow storm had hit so suddenly that nobody except Yukina and Hiei would be able to survive long outside, so they had postponed their wedding for the weather to become a bit calmer. It had been like this for three days, since Yusuke and Kagome got married and left for their honeymoon in Hawaii a tropical paradise compared to what they had to deal with.

"Hiei, I know you're bored, but what can we do? Only you and Yukina can survive outside right now, its cold even for Kurama, Kouga, Inuyasha, and Ayame as well as for me. You wouldn't want met o get sick now would you?" asked Sango.

"No," replied Hiei emotionlessly.

"How about we go upstairs to our room and have a little bit of fun?" asked Sango huskily to Hiei as he turned to her and brushed past her. "Don't you love me Hiei? You've all but ignored me these past couple of weeks. I beginning to think that it was a mistake becoming your mate."

Hiei froze in mid-step as he listened to Sango and sighed in frustration as he continued walking trying to get the boredom out of his mind and find something to do. Shaking his head he went up the stairs and into the attic, where he found his katana and started sharpening and polishing it.

-

Sango herself was beginning to feel dirty, thinking that Hiei didn't love her anymore and that she had just been used. But she loved him and was determined to prove it to him, even if he didn't love her anymore. Walking up to the attic, which also served as their room, she saw him sharpening and polishing his katana. Deciding to give him the cold shoulder and silent treatment she brushed past him and went to her side of the bed and began sharpening and polishing her own katana.

'How can I get him to see how much I love him?' wondered Sango as she looked over to Hiei who was polishing his katana again and then began sharpening it again. 'He can be such a jerk sometimes, but I still love him very much.'

Getting bored with her katana she put it away and went back downstairs to see if she could find anything to do. She found that the only thing that needed to be done was the laundry, but it was stuck outside on the clothesline in the awful weather. Deciding to risk it she put on a heavy coat and made her way outside and started to grab the frozen clothes and put them inside. Soon enough the storm got even worse, making it harder for her to see, grab the clothes and put them inside. She had nearly fallen down at least three times already. When she put the second to last piece of clothing inside, she went back out to get the last piece.

-

Yukina was busy helping Mizu make hot chocolate for everyone, when she got a sinking feeling in her stomach, like something was wrong. Quickly sitting down she grabbed the ice bag and put it on her head to help cool her down, so she would be okay.

"Are you alright Yukina?" asked Mizu.

"Yes, I think it's just the heat from the stove getting to me. But I can't shake this feeling that something's wrong, like somebody we care for deeply is in trouble," said Yukina softly. "Do you know what I'm talking about?"

"Yes, I got them all the time when Kagome went to the Feudal Era and looked for the Jewel Shards. It was a mother's worry for me, for you it's probably just your imagination from being cooped up for a few days," said Mizu brightly.

"Yes, you're probably right, but still…" trailed Yukina as Mizu told her the hot chocolate was finished, though Yukina's was cold chocolate.

"Here you go Souta," said Yukina brightly.

"Hey, thanks Yukina!" said Souta.

"You're welcome Souta. Have you seen Hiei anywhere?" asked Yukina curiously.

"You could try his room in the attic," said Souta.

"Okay, thanks," said Yukina as Souta nodded to her.

Yukina carefully walked up stairs and to the attic, where she saw Hiei polishing his katana for probably the fiftieth time, maybe less, maybe more.

"Yukina," said Hiei nodding to her.

"I made you some hot chocolate," said Yukina handing him a cup as Hiei just nodded and set it down on the floor. "Aren't you going to try it?"

"I'll let it sit for a minute and then try. According to the detective's mate's younger brother it tastes better after the chocolate as settled somewhat," said Hiei as Yukina nodded in understanding.

"Have you seen Sango anywhere?" asked Yukina curiously.

"Try down stairs, the wench was giving me the cold shoulder and silent treatment," said Hiei as he went back to polishing and sharpening his katana.

-

Kurama himself was bored out of his mind, which was unusual for a Kitsune. Especially a Silver one, but being stuck inside just stay alive and not freeze to death did that to a person. He was beginning to get cabin fever though and would risk the storm to see his mother, who was visiting her cousin across town, just to get some fresh air. However when he heard Yukina calling for Sango, his curiosity was sparked.

"Is something the matter Yukina?" asked Kurama.

"I can't find Sango anywhere Kurama. Hiei says she was giving him the cold shoulder and silent treatment the last time he saw her. I'm worried I've checked everywhere and I can't find her. Do you suppose they had another argument?" asked Yukina.

"Another?" questioned Kurama with a raised eyebrow.

"They've been having fights and arguments for a couple of weeks now. When I last spoke to Sango, she said she felt used, dirty, and betrayed. She loves Hiei, but doubts his feelings towards her. I think she may want out of being Hiei's mate," said Yukina.

"The only way for that to happen, since he claimed her, is for one of the two to die," said Kurama as realization hit him. "Yukina, have you tried outside!"

"Oh no!" said Yukina as she rushed outside and found Sango half buried in snow and ice. Her skin was blue and her lips were purple and she barely had a pulse. "Please don't die Sango, please don't die!"

"Please… let me die! Let me leave… my one sided…"

As Sango tried to speak she fell unconscious and stopped breathing and her pulse began to weaken quickly.

"KURAMA!" yelled Yukina loudly as he came rushing out the door. "She stopped breathing and her pulse is weakening!"

Kurama nodded and scooped her up in his arms and rushed her inside stripping her of all her frozen clothes and rushed her to his bed. Quickly covering her, he had Mizu start to rub the heat back into her body gently. Pressing his ear over her mouth he could hear the faintest breaths, signaling that she was still alive, but just barely. Checking her pulse he felt it was till weak, but at least it was steady. Seeing that her condition stabilized for the time being he excused himself and went up to the attic where Hiei was still polishing and sharpening his sword. Without so much as a warning, Kurama slugged Hiei in the right cheek, sending him crashing to the floor and his katana sliding across the floor.

"What was that for fox!" growled Hiei angrily.

"That was for not being there for your mate!" said Kurama as he punched Hiei again, catching him off guard yet again, surprising Hiei. "That was for making her feel used!"

Kurama was angry, Sango was like a sister to Yukina, well technically by Youkai law standards they were sister in-laws. But Kurama thought of Sango as good friend and he always looked out for his friends. Slugging Hiei for a third and fourth time, he brought his knee up and rammed it into Hiei's stomach and then slammed his elbow into the back of Hiei's head.

"Those were making her feel dirty! Unloved! And the last two were for not telling her how you feel and for nearly getting her killed because of all the previous things!" said Kurama angrily as Hiei's eyes shot open in a split second.

"What do you mean nearly getting her killed?" asked Hiei angrily.

"I mean she tried to kill herself by going outside! She may still die yet! She had hypothermia, a serious and potentially dangerous condition! Humans get it when they are out in the cold or freezing weather too long!" said Kurama as Hiei was gone in a second. "She's in my room in my bed!"

"WHAT!" snapped Hiei.

"It was the closet room to where she was! If I didn't get her somewhere warm, she would be dead right now! She asked Yukina to leave her out there Hiei! That's how serious she was about ending her relationship as your mate! If she pulls through and survives, she is going to bed ridden for a long while. I would suggest that you make amends with her and tell her how you truly feel about her at that time, before she is let out of bed and allowed to roam freely like she did before!" said Kurama angrily.

­­-

Hiei immediately ran to the room Sango was in and saw that her skin was pale blue and her lips purple, while her hair was soaking wet with pieces of ice stuck in it. Moving over to her he used his abilities over fire to carefully melt the ice into a bowl under her hair and then carefully dried her hair. He felt ashamed of himself for failing her as a mate and believed that it should have been him in her place and her in his condition, health wise. He had forced everyone else out of the room; even his own sister and set wards on the door, to make sure he was not disturbed by anyone.

Three Days Later

Hiei had stayed by Sango's side, refusing to rest and using his youki to warm her slowly and heal her too. He would always be apologizing to her and begging her not to leave him, because he loved her and was complete with her at his side. It was late in the afternoon and the blizzard had passed the day before, but still Hiei let no one enter the room putting fresher wards up everyday. It was that same day after he had just finished putting some new wards up that she awoke, causing Hiei to be at her side in an instant and wait for the disorientation of waking up after a few days to pass.

"Where am I? What happened?" asked Sango more to herself than Hiei.

"Apparently you tried to kill yourself because of my negligence and stupidity," said Hiei.

"You!" hissed Sango angrily. "You are the reason I tired to kill myself! You used me for your own personal pleasures and game! Then you grew bored of me and started to ignore me! I don't want to be your mate anymore! I'll try to kill myself again before I go back to your bed!"

"If that is how you feel then here, kill me," said Hiei as he handed her his katana and pressed it up to between his eyes. "Not even I can survive this."

Sango was shocked to say the least, Hiei was resting his life in her hands and all she had to do was push on the katana enough and it was kill him instantly. He wouldn't be able to heal himself or have anybody else heal him. It was impossible to survive a successful attempt like the one presented before her.

"Before you do kill me, allow me to say one thing," said Hiei sadly.

"What!" spat Sang bitterly.

"I'm sorry," said Hiei.

"You're sorry?" asked Sango confused.

"Yes, I'm sorry, I apologize for be a worthless mate. I apologize for ignoring you, when you felt my love for you was fading. I apologize for not reassuring you that I do love you. When I found out what happened I rushed here and forced everyone else out. I took care of you. I helped warm you up with my youki. I'm too weak to resist, even my reserves are gone. I do love you Sango otherwise I would not have claimed you and let you claim me," said Hiei revealing her claim mark from Hiei and his own from her. "You can kill me now if you like."

"You love me? But what about the way you have been treating me?" asked Sango.

"I admit, it was careless of me to do those things to you," said Hiei. "I hadn't truly realized how much I love you, until I almost lost you forever."

"Really?" asked Sango as she stared into Hiei's eyes.

"Yes, I failed in my duty as your mate, now it is my punishment that I die by your hands," said Hiei as Sango grabbed the katana, pulled back, and…

Hiei closed his eyes and waited for the piercing of his katana killing him, but instead of feeling it himself a mental image appeared of Sango taking the blade and using it on herself. Snapping his eyes open he saw Sango laying down on the bed with her eyes closed, causing Hiei to panic and throw the covers off her.

-

Sango held the katana in her hands and knew what Hiei was waiting for. She had imagined doing this to him again and again for what he put her through, but something inside her, deep down, told her she would regret it for the rest of her life if she did kill Hiei. So she pulled the sword back and threw it, falling back onto the bed closing her eyes to revel in the feeling of doing what she did. One minute she was warm and cozy, the next she felt a sudden chill and opened her eyes to see that Hiei had thrown the covers off her body, exposing her nakedness to him, but instead of yelling at him or calling him a pervert, she noticed that he seemed to be checking her body for something. When she heard him sigh in relief she felt the covers placed back over her.

"Don't do that again Hiei!" said Sango angrily.

"I'm sorry, but I could have sworn I saw you take the katana and use it on yourself. I panicked and tried to see if you were alright," said Hiei as realization dawned upon Sango as she smiled to him gently and pulled him down into a long passionate kiss.

"I love you Hiei and I apologize for everything I've ever done to worry you," said Sango as she kissed him again and this time he kissed back with equal passion, but stopped himself from going further. "Why are you stopping?"

"You need to rest and get well first," said Hiei as Sango was touched that Hiei would wait until she was perfectly healthy again before he went further than kissing her passionately. "I love you Sango."

"I love you too Hiei," said Sango as the two fell asleep in each others arms.

-

Kurama smiled as he walked away from his room, or rather his and Yukina's room, though right now in belonged to Hiei and Sango. Since he refused to let anyone help him take care of Sango. Walking into the kitchen he sat down at the table with a mug of freshly brewed Kitsune coffee, coffee made Kitsune style, by using coffee mix and Kitsune nip.

"How is she Kurama?" asked Yukina.

"Awake and as feisty as ever, Hiei placed his life in her hands to take, but she spared him. Apparently Hiei has many fears. One of them being that Sango willing leaves him by taking her own life. By the sound of it he threw the covers of her and checked her for pierce wounds and then recovered her when he found none. She gave him a piece of her mind for it. They seem to have made up and Sango was apparently eager for some intense pleasure," said Kurama as Yukina blushed and nodded. "Hiei refused, since she still needed to recover."

"Oh, that's good to hear. At least he is concerned for her well being in the long run," said Yukina. "Though I wish there was more we could do for them."

"Sadly there isn't… they must face this themselves. If they truly love each other as they claim to, then they will have a bright future together," said Kurama softly. "However, if it turns out that they don't love each other as they claim, then their future together will be long and miserable, as they will be stuck with one another, through their claims on each other. I sincerely hope that it is not the latter that come true."

"Me too, but I doubt it, I have seen the love they hold for each other in their eyes. Hiei was ready to kill himself when he realized what he did to Sango. I'm sure he merely thought it was just that time of the month for her. But still, its heart warming, even for me Kurama, that he would put his life in the hands of the one who claimed she despised him in everyway," said Yukina.

"Yes, this is quite rare, most Youkai would just kill her," said Kurama.

­-

"Kikyo, have you ever doubted my love for you?" asked Inuyasha as Kikyo turned to stare at him in surprise.

"Why do you ask, do you doubt my love for you?" asked Kikyo.

"Sometimes, when we were in the Feudal Era I would. And even now I sometimes wonder what life would be like for us if you didn't love me," said Inuyasha as he hung his head in shame.

"Do not be ashamed Inuyasha, it shows that your human side is not gone. I admit, I have often wondered as well, while I waited for you in the Feudal Era. Sometimes I would wonder what life for me would have been like if I had never fallen in love with you," said Kikyo. "These thoughts scare me, because I do love you and I always will love you Inuyasha. These thought are apart of all living creatures, they will wonder and sometimes doubt if the ones they love return the feelings or if they feel the same way anymore. If love is mutual on both sides, then all they have to do is remind the other."

"Like you just did for me," said Inuyasha nuzzling her neck softly. "I love you Kikyo and I always will, until the end of time."

"I know, I know Inuyasha, now why don't you go play with your children? You haven't been around them a long time and I want them and you to have together," said Kikyo as she pushed Inuyasha out of their room.

Inuyasha just smiled as he went to find his children. When he did find them he found them all rough housing with one another.

"Stop!" said Inuyasha catching their attention, making them wonder if they were in trouble. "You're doing it all wrong!"

With that he smiled and they tackled him and started to tickle him, causing him to start laughing out loud enough for the entire house to hear.

-

"Sounds like Inuyasha's children are torturing Inuyasha this morning," said Mizu as Kurama just nodded, smiling a little.

"Yes, I believe I heard Kikyo mention last night about forcing Inuyasha out of their room in the morning. It seems as if Inuyasha is being ganged up on, if my hearing does not deceive me," said Kurama as he chuckled slightly.

"Hmm, yes, I believe you're right Kurama, now can you tell Souta that he needs to put the Video Games up. He's supposed to be grounded from them, but he just won't listen," said Mizu sadly. "I wonder if he even cares what I say anymore. He only listens to Kagome these days."

"Perhaps some discipline, other than grounding him, is needed. I'll tell him that you wish to speak with him about something important," said Kurama as he walked into the living room and saw Souta playing a Video Game. "Souta, your mother wishes to speak with you about something."

"Tell her, I'll be there in a minute," said Souta off handedly. "Let me beat this boss."

"No," said Kurama he switched the TV off. "Go see your mother now!"

"Move it Suichi!" snapped Souta angrily as he tried to turn the TV back on, only to have Kurama lift him by his shirt.

"No! Now you listen to me Souta, your mother wishes to speak with you, now go see her now!" said Kurama angrily as Souta continued to protest. "I didn't want to have to resort to this, but you leave me no choice. Would you like to have a taste of the Janen Ju? The Evil Thoughts Tree, it will make your worst nightmares seem like reality. Now the choice is yours, I tried to be civil about this, but you wouldn't listen!"

"I'll go see what my mom wants," said Souta as he rushed off to the kitchen quite pale.

When Kurama entered Mizu looked at him angrily.

"I threatened him with the Janen Ju or Evil Thoughts Tree. It makes ones worst nightmares seem like reality. I didn't want to, but he needed to have reality sink in that he cannot do whatever he wants, whenever he wants. I apologize if I have offended you, broken one of your rules, and made you angry. However he also needs to learn not to order other people around, like he owns them. Especially me," said Kurama sternly. "Now Souta, I don't know if you noticed, but most everyone around the house calls me Kurama, do you know why?"

"I figured you were just called that, because of your similar fighting style to the legendary Yoko Kurama," said Souta.

"And you are partially correct Souta," said Kurama with a smirk.

"What do you mean?" asked Souta confused.

"When Yoko supposedly died, he forced his spirit from his body and fled to the Ningenkai. There he possessed the unborn child of Shiori Minamino," said Kurama as Souta's eyes widened.

"You mean you're the reincarnation of Yoko Kurama!" asked Souta as Kurama nearly fell back at Souta's guess.

"No, I am Yoko, I am Kurama, and I am Suichi Minamino. As a result of what I did, I have a human form, a hanyou form, a Youkai form, and an animal form," said Kurama sternly. "Now because we are relatives I tired to be civil. In my days as Yoko, I merely would have grabbed you and brought you to your mother. Now I am warning you Yoko does not like little kids who order him around, even if you are related, technically."

"You mean he would hurt me!" said Souta fearfully.

"In a heartbeat, you're quite lucky that he allowed me to handle the situation," said Kurama sternly. "Now Aunt Mizu, I believe you had something to tell Souta?"

"Yes, Souta you're grounded, why are you playing Video Games, instead of working on your school work?" said Mizu.

"I didn't feel like it," said Souta off handedly. "Now, I'm going to get back to me game."

"No you're not young man!" said Mizu grabbing Souta by the ear and dragging him up to his room where the yells of him protesting could be heard by the entire house.

Kurama distinctively heard the sound of a hand hitting Souta's bare bottom again and again. It seemed that his aunt had grown tired of Souta's disrespect and decided to punish him for it. So Kurama walked into the living and decided to check the Weather forecast for the next few days.

-

Two Weeks Later

Souta was on Winter Vacation from school, meaning he would spend most of his tome shoveling snow as his punishment for being disrespectful to his mother. Hiei had yet to leave Sango's side, while she was recovering and loosening her stiff joints from all the rest she had been getting. Kurama had planted several winter Makai flowers around the arch, where he and Yukina were to be married at. Yukina herself could be found almost everyday dancing in the snow, as it was her favorite past time and a tradition she had started as a way to ease the mood and boost peoples spirits. Inuyasha could be found almost everyday playing with his children and having a snowball fights. It was one of these days that was most humorous to everybody.

Flashback

Inuyasha, Inuyako, Kiyasha, Inyiko, Rein, and Kagome were all throwing snow balls at each other when Kikyo came outside to see what all the noise was. She smiled as she saw Inuyasha having fun playing with their children, even if it was a bit of rough housing. She noticed that Inuyasha was to preoccupied with looking for the children that he didn't notice her. Deciding to have a little fun, she made a snow ball and hit Inuyasha in the back of the head with it, startling him, which got him a face full of snow, as the children all launched their snowballs at him and smacked him in the face. Kikyo couldn't help but laugh at the expression on his face and Inuyasha turned to the kids and smirked.

'What is he up to? I know he wouldn't let me get away with that, would he?' wondered Kikyo as the children came over to her and smiled. 'What are they up to?'

Soon enough Kikyo noticed the snow balls in their hands and told them to drop them. They did, but Kikyo was soon covered in snow. Inuyasha dropped down in front of her with a big grin on his face as Kikyo just stared at him and then smashed as a snowball into his face, laughing.

"Huh?" said Inuyasha surprised as he too started laughing. "How did you know?"

"Simple, you weren't here and a pile of snowballs was missing," said Kikyo as she tripped Inuyasha, making him fall face first into the snow. "Now how do you like a face full of snow Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha growled playfully before he attempted to pounce on Kikyo, only to get caught and kissed fully on the lips by Kikyo.

"Eww, their kissing!" said Inuyako.

"What's so bad about kissing? I think it's kind of cute," said Inyiko.

"You'll like it when you're older Inuyako," said Kikyo as she broke the kiss with Inuyasha and patted him on the head gently.

End Flashback

-

Two Days Later

It was the big day for Kurama, it was his wedding day. Hiei and Sango were as well, since she had finally fully healed and the two had made up. Kurama smiled gently as he saw Hiei help Sango, even though she protested a bit. His best man was going to be Hiei, but he refused wanting to stay by Sango's side, just in case. So he had Inuyasha be his best man, with Kouga up there as well, who had recently been looking around the shrine property trying to find a suitable place to build a den for his future pups. Once again it was Miroku and Genkai that were to do the official honors of wedding them.

A few minutes later the music started and Kikyo, Ayame, and Botan came out as the flower maids and bride's maids. Once they reached the front and stepped off to the side, revealing Yukina, who was surprisingly being escorted by Hiei at Sango's insistence that she would be okay for a little bit. Once they were to the front Hiei and glared at Kurama for a moment, sending him an unspoken warning, one that Kurama understood all to well. It was: Hurt Yukina like the idiot did and I will make you pay.

"Dearly beloved we are gathered here today to witness the marriage of these two people. Marriage is a sacred union, which should never be taken lightly, between two people who love each other deeply. Who gives this woman away?" said Miroku as Hiei merely glared at Miroku, who acknowledged him. "They have decided on their own vows for one another, miss, you may go."

"Yukina, form the moment I met you, I loved you deep down, but had yet to realize it. In the coming months you would occupy my thoughts. Eventually I realized I loved you, but it was around this same time that I had a potential mate. She broke my heart, but you were there for me, you helped mend my broken heart, it was you Yukina that helped me move on. When you came to us during a mission you were broken and fearful, yet even with your innocence shattered and stripped from you, you were still willing to go forward. You are the one that makes me complete Yukina, you understand me better than anyone by trying not figure me out completely, but by trying to figure out what had me upset and seeking guidance. You are the one Yukina, the one that I pledge myself to for the rest of my life, until the end of time it self I pledge myself to you and only you," said Kurama as he saw a tear run down her cheek.

"Oh Kurama, my vows were just about exactly as you said," said Yukina.

"Yukina, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband? To love and to hold, in sickness and in health, in good and bad times, as long as you both shall live, 'til death do you part?" asked Miroku.

"I do," replied Yukina.

"Kurama, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife? To love and to hold, in sickness and in health, in good and bad times, as long as you both shall live, 'til death do you part?" asked Miroku.

"I do," replied Kurama softly.

"Then by the power invested in me, I hereby pronounce you man and wife! You may kiss the bride," said Miroku as Genkai just smiled at another job well done by Miroku.

Kurama leaned in to Yukina and gently kissed her on the lips, as Yukina returned it with just as much gentleness. When they broke the kiss they started walking down the aisle until they came to the end, where Yukina tossed her bouquet of Makai Winter Flowers over her head. The other girls all rushed to grab it out of the air and in the end it was Sango who had grabbed the bouquet.

"Congratulations Sango," said Kikyo as Hiei made his way over to Sango and scooped her up into his arms and disappeared towards the house, by his footprints in the snow.

"I love you Hiei, please don't ever leave or abandon me," said Sango.

"I love you as well Sango and I swear never to leave or abandon you," said Hiei as he kissed her gently, yet passionately, as Sango returning it with just as much passion and enthusiasm, which would lead to a night of passion and love they would not soon forget.

-

Meanwhile in Hawaii, Kagome was sad that she couldn't have been there for her cousins wedding, but she was able to get it on a live video feed. She was so happy and yet sad that she wasn't there at her cousins wedding. But her mother had probably planned on trying to stall the wedding until she came back from her honeymoon in Hawaii, so that she could be there at the wedding. Even though she had it on a live video feed it wasn't enough to keep her from feeling sad and like she had hurt her cousin by not being there for his wedding. That's when she got an idea, her honeymoon in Hawaii would only last another week at best, since she was homesick and so was Yusuke. She called her mother up and asked her pass along a question to Kurama and Yukina.

"Okay now mom, can you ask Kurama and Yukina if they would be willing to redo their entire wedding, but with us there? We really feel like we should have been there and that we hurt them by not being there. Plus Yusuke says he found a nice gift for them and I have to agree it's very nice," said Kagome.

"Don't worry about it Kagome. I've already spoken with Kurama and Yukina. They told me that they wanted to redo their wedding anyway, since you and Yusuke weren't there for it the first time. It was kind of a dull, sad, happy, and jealous atmosphere anyway. A lot of girls that came by the shrine actually had to be escorted off the shrine property because they were so jealous of Yukina marrying Kurama. Anyway Kurama and Yukina send their love and ask that if it's any type of clothing, to not bother," said Mizu as Kagome giggled at Kurama and Yukina's request for their gift from Yusuke and her.

"Okay mom, tell Kurama I said hi and that I hope he has a happy marriage. Oh and tell Sango if I hear that she try's to pull what she did again, I will personally come back hope and knock some sense into her. I will not have my friends try and pull what she pulled and get away with it!" said Kagome sternly as Mizu told Kagome she pass the messages along to everyone at the shrine.

"So how's it go Kagome?" asked Yusuke curiously.

"It went fine, but they don't want any clothing from here," said Kagome. "I just can't believe that Sango tried to do that to herself. I thought she was stronger than that."

"Hey, it's not entirely her fault Kagome. When you're stuck indoors for days on end and the one you love is all but ignoring you, I'd feel the same way. Cabin fever will make you do crazy things, things you wouldn't do under your normal state of mind. Don't blame her entirely, Hiei and the weather are also the blame," said Yusuke as Kagome just smiled at Yusuke and fell asleep in his arms. "Don't worry Kagome. I'll never do that to you. I'll always love you and will do anything to keep you safe and happy."

-

A/N: Well that's it for Chapter Eleven at last. I apologize for the delay in the update. I've been working on other stories and also haven't had as much time to work on this one or the others. Now here is the poll, since I haven't much else to say except, chapter twelve is going to take a little longer to get posted than this one.

What did you think of this chapter?

What should happen next?

Do you think I'm loosing my touch with this story?

Should I out a Kagome/Yusuke scene in the next chapter?

That's it for the poll, now I give my thanks and apologies once more and leave you to await the next chapter and have fun reading this one, until next time.

Note: 06/22/2005: I have added a brief Yusuke/Kagome scene into this chapter after I received a review reminding me of the scene I forgot to put in. This is also the same date that this chapter was posted, so if you haven't already submitted a signed review, it's not too late.

Shadow Kage

* * *


	12. Love, Faith, and the Wedding II

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! This story has the most reviews I've ever had! It's outdone my hit, Dark Tide: Shadow Saiyan! Now at the end of this chapter and on, things are going to be a bit broader in the timeline. Well, that's all I have to say for now, so here it is, the twelfth chapter!

Chapter Twelve: Love, Faith, and the Wedding II

One Week Later (A/N: That's one week after the end of chapter eleven.)

Yusuke and Kagome stepped off the plane after five hours of flight, an extra hour because of the weather. They were tired, worried about their friends and family, but most of all cold. Purchasing some over priced winter clothing they left the airport, got a taxi, and made their way towards the Higuraishi Shrine. When they finally arrived, they were greeted by a sign that said the cable cart was out of order. This forced them to walk up the stairs very carefully as not to slip and fall. It also caused them to become irritated with how many steps a shrine should have just to get to the house. Finally they arrived at the top of the stairs and into the shrine courtyard. Making their way through the snow to the front door they entered, shed their outer winter clothing, and walked up to their room to sleep off the jetlag.

-

The first thing that Kurama noted when he came in from outside was the extra articles of winter clothing at the door. He knew this meant that Kagome and Yusuke had returned and that they would most likely be sleeping off their jetlag, from a long flight. Chuckling to himself he made his way into the kitchen and started to make some hot chocolate and some nice hot soup.

After an hour of cooking, he heard the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. Yusuke and Kagome were up, but still suffering from jetlag, at least a little bit. Chuckling to himself he kept cooking and added a few more spices to the soup to give it the right flavor. After he heard them sit down at the table, he knew they would drink their hot chocolate before anything else, just to get warmed up.

"Good afternoon Kagome, Yusuke, sleep well?" teased Kurama.

"Shut it fox boy, remind me not to take a flight to Hawaii or anywhere else again, unless absolutely necessary," said Yusuke as he rubbed the sleep out from his eyes.

"Agreed, shut up. Just wait for your honeymoon! You'll probably have to go to Siberia or the Artic Circle!" snapped Kagome.

"Maybe, but not likely, Yukina and I have decided to spend our honeymoon here in Japan. We may just tour some of the old shrines around the country, but that won't involve any flying," said Kurama as Kagome shot him a dirty look.

"Just shut up, would you Kurama?" said Kagome as Kurama chuckled and set two bowls of soup down on the table. "Thanks."

"Your welcome, so exactly how was your honeymoon?" asked Kurama as Yusuke tossed him a key.

"Third trunk to the left of the door with the blue circle on it," mumbled Yusuke as he went back to eating his soup.

Kurama nodded and went up to Yusuke and Kagome's room where he found the trunk Yusuke had mentioned earlier. Opening it, he found a smaller trunk to the left with his name on the front of the case. Curiously he opened it to find quite an extensive collection of books, CD's, DVD's, VHS Tapes, and even a few scrolls, all about the female Ice Koorime's. Opening a book, he quickly shut it, with his face bright red and Yoko laughing his head off and teasing Kurama, to his dismay.

(A/N: _'blah'_ – Yoko and Kurama a.k.a. Suichi speaking with one another.)

_'What's a matter Suichi? Embarrassed over a book that tells of the female Ice Koorime mating habits with men?'_ teased Yoko.

_'Shut up Yoko! Don't forget we're married and mated to a female Ice Koorime! Would you really want to hurt her by trying anything she wouldn't like!'_ snapped Kurama angrily at Yoko.

_'Hmm, I suppose you have a point, we are married and mated to her. I wouldn't want to hurt such a treasure as her. She is quite rare, a female Ice Koorime willing to defy her own kind and be with a male. No, we should show these to Yukina, see what she thinks,'_ said Yoko wisely.

_'Agreed, but first we kill Yusuke and Kagome, not literally, but enough to make them think twice about trying to embarrass us!'_ said Kurama sternly.

_'Agreed,'_ replied Yoko.

"Hey Kurama, I see you found that book. When I purchased it, I didn't know that was what it was. I thought it was just something on female Ice Koorime culture. But you might want to check the other books and scrolls too, along with the CD's, DVD's and VHS Tapes," said Yusuke. "By the way, Kagome wants to talk to you downstairs about something, she wouldn't tell me what, so don't ask me."

"Thank you for telling me Yusuke," said Kurama as he put the book back into the suitcase and went downstairs.

-

Hiei was sharpening his katana when he picked up on a conversation between Yoko and Kurama a.k.a. Suichi. Smirking he continued sharpening his katana, when he was suddenly on the floor. Quickly getting up he looked around he saw Shippo and Kohaku laughing at the stairs. Moving quickly, he grabbed them by the collars of their shirts and growled at them angrily.

"Don't push me again or pull any pranks on me!" snapped Hiei angrily.

"Yes sir," replied Kohaku and Shippo simultaneously.

Hiei let them run off as he went back to sharpening his katana and waiting for Sango to get back from her shopping with Mizu. He had learned through observing women that it was a bad idea to go shopping with them if there was more than one and even then it could be still be bad idea. That was why he decided to stay home and "watch" Shippo and Kohaku. He knew where they were at all times true, but he didn't bother to watch what they were doing.

-

"Hiei!" called Sango as she came through the door.

She had been out shopping with Mizu, which had turned out to be a bad idea, especially since they had to carry all the bags up the shrine's multitude of steps. She was really looking forward to some time alone with Hiei, but the moment she had stepped through the door, she noticed some winter clothing she didn't even recognize. She knew right away that Kagome and Yusuke were back from their honeymoon. Turning her attention to the stairs she Hiei walking down the stairs slowly looking every which way as if waiting for something or somebody to attack. She knew that Kohaku and Shippo must have been played some pranks on him and Hiei was suspicious of them for not trying anything again, which made Sango suspicious when she didn't hear Hiei threatening them bodily harm if they didn't stop.

"Where are they?" demanded Hiei as he looked around. "Where are those two hiding!"

"They probably decided to go back to their room and plan their next attack," said Sango as Hiei nodded to her. "How long as Kagome and Yusuke been back?"

"A few hours, they dumped their clothing there and went straight to bed for a couple of hours. Then they went downstairs and ate what the fox fixed them and the detective caused the fox to get into an argument with himself," said Hiei as Sango followed him into the kitchen, where they sat down and began eating the soup Kurama had just set on the table. "What's wrong with you fox?"

"Nothing, except Yusuke and Kagome are a bit agitated with all the noise. They're still suffering from jetlag and are extremely hostile towards those who are keeping them from their sleep," said Kurama softly as he sat down and started eating the soup as well.

"Where is Yukina?" asked Hiei.

"With Kouga and Ayame looking for a cave or a place to make a den in the forest. I think they miss their old homes," said Kurama as he finished eating, took care of his dishes, and went to take a short nap.

"So Hiei, what did you mean by Kurama was arguing with himself?" asked Sango curiously. "Was he just talking to himself and scolding himself or what?"

"Yes and no. Kurama a.k.a. Suichi was arguing with Yoko about a book that Yusuke and Kagome got him about female Ice Koorime's. It was a bit of a provocative book about female Ice Koorime's. Yoko and Suichi share the same body, they are two separate beings, yet they are one being, in one body, that holds knowledge of all forms, attacks, and everything else that Yoko knew and everything that he has learned. Yoko can be a bit perverted at times, much worse than the monk can ever hope to be," said Hiei as Sango nodded nervously. "Luckily they agree that Yukina is the only one for them, the only one they will be with, since they are both married human and Youkai style and mated with her."

"Oh," replied Sango, not really understanding, but willing to let it go so she doesn't become more confused than she already was.

Things quieted down a bit since Yusuke and Kagome returned, it was decided that redoing the wedding between Kurama and Yukina was a bad idea. Especially since everyone nearly froze at the wedding, with the exception of a few. So they all decided to just go on with their lives as normal, if having Youkai living with you is considered normal anyway.

Two Months Later

While everyone else at home was fixing the up during the break in the weather, Shippo and Kohaku were sent to school. Shippo was in the third grade at Sunset Elementary School, he had to use his Kitsune Magic to make him appear normal. He was very mature for his age, but he still liked to act his age, especially when it came to playing pranks on people. He had planned to play a prank a girl in his class, but when he saw her out of her snow clothing, he couldn't bring himself to do it. When recess came he found her all alone at the swings. Feeling sorry and knowing how it felt he went over to her.

"Hi," said Shippo.

"Oh, hi," replied the girl. "Go ahead and make fun of me, pull any prank you want to on me, I don't care. Just get it over with, so you can go brag to your friends."

"Why would I do that? I don't have any friends at this school. They all think I'm weird and might get them sick, because I live at the Higuraishi Shrine. Besides you're too pretty to pull a prank on," said Shippo blushing madly.

"Thanks," said the girl. "I'm Karen Etai, what's your name?"

"Oh! Um… my name is… um… Shippo Urameshi," stammered Shippo embarrassingly. "You have a nice name Karen and it suits you perfectly."

Karen just stared at Shippo before bursting out giggling at the expression of embarrassment on his face. She thought he looked cute like that and started blushing as well in embarrassment from her own thoughts betraying her.

"Thanks, but you wouldn't happen to be related to Yusuke Urameshi would you?" asked Karen curiously.

"He's my father, well adopted father anyway, but he's just as good as a biological father," said Shippo proudly.

"Wow! That must be really cool, yet kind of sad, in a way," said Karen.

"Yeah, it gets kind of sad when I think of my biological father before he died. But I'm happy," said Shippo grinning broadly.

Karen just smiled at him as the bell signaling that recess was over sounded, signaling that it was time for them to come inside. Before they reached the door Karen hugged Shippo passionately and gave him a kiss on the cheek before running inside, leaving Shippo just standing there in shock. His first kiss and from a girl he had just met and befriended.

-

Elsewhere Kohaku was struggling to fit in as he was the target of many bullies that thought he would be an easy pushover. He just ignored them and went on about his classes, struggling a little with his studies, but otherwise he was doing exceptionally well. He hadn't made any friends, but he didn't really care, he was from another time after all. While he was finishing his report on the Feudal Era for his history class he hadn't noticed that somebody had sat down next to him. When he finished the report he was surprised to see a girl sitting next to him struggling with the same report he had.

"Oh, hi, sorry I sat down without asking first, but I'm not exactly Miss Popular around here. Every other table was full, I hope you don't mind," said the girl.

"I don't mind, I'm Kohaku by the way," said Kohaku politely.

"I'm Rui Enzeru, it's nice to meet you Kohaku," said Rui. "If you don't mind my asking, what is your surname?"

"I don't mind, my surname is Taiyou," replied Kohaku.

"Kohaku Taiyou, hmm… it has a nice ring to it," said Rui.

"So does your name, especially its meaning," said Kohaku.

"Really, what does it mean? Nobody ever tells me, except when they say it means, 'Ugly Bitch'," said Rui sadly.

"Then they mean themselves, it doesn't mean that at all, in fact it'd be nearly the opposite. Your name means, Kind Angel, perfect for someone as pretty as you," said Kohaku who mentally scolded himself for saying that aloud.

"Really! Oh thank you Kohaku!" said Rui as she kissed him on the lips without thinking, surprising Kohaku greatly, who returned it.

After they broke the kiss they looked at each other sheepishly, exchanged addresses, phone numbers, and then went on their way to their classes. Kohaku himself knew he liked her a lot and wanted to see her again outside of school. He had to keep it from his sister for a little bit, otherwise she would tease him a lot. After school was let out he found Rui waiting for him by the flag pole, but he also saw his sister talking with her.

"Hey Sango, what are you doing here?" asked Kohaku curiously.

"I just came to get you from school so we could spend some brother and sister time together," said Sango. "I've also been talking with your friend here, while I waited for you. It's quite interesting that when I mention your name she starts blushing. And that you're blushing right now too. Don't worry, I give my blessings for you two to have a relationship and I'm sure Hiei won't mind having 'the talk' with you later Kohaku."

"Sango!" exclaimed Kohaku blushing madly as Rui just giggled and kissed him on the cheek before running off. "Please don't tell the others about this Sango, please don't!"

"Okay, I won't but you're going to have to tell them sooner or later," said Sango as Kohaku thanked her again and again.

-

When school was let out for Shippo he and his new friend Karen were walking out the front doors. Yes it was still winter, but with the break in the weather it was more tolerable, so less heavy articles of clothing could be worn. As they walked out the door Shippo saw Yusuke and Kagome waiting for him, waiting to pick him up and take him home. Karen saw her parents waiting for her as well, also waiting to pick her up and take her home.

"Shippo, I want you to meet my parents!" said Karen eagerly.

"Okay, but I want you to meet my parents too!" said Shippo just as eagerly.

The two looked like they were about to start arguing over whose parents would be met first, so Kagome, Yusuke, and Karen's parents saved them the trouble and introduced themselves to each other.

"Hello, I'm Kagome Urameshi, Shippo's mother," said Kagome. "This is my husband Yusuke Urameshi, Shippo's father, obviously."

"It's nice to meet you Mrs. Urameshi, you too, Mr. Urameshi. My name is Konjou Etai. This is my wife, Seirei Etai. It would seem our children have become friends. Perhaps we can get together sometime to arrange some time for them to play together," said Mr. Etai as Shippo and Karen looked at them hopefully.

"That'd be fine, but at the moment we're making renovations to our home, so we won't have much time to arrange anything with you," said Kagome.

"I see, the winter storms do some damage?" asked Mrs. Etai.

"Yeah, plus we have my older brother and his family living with us, along with my mother and little brother, my cousin, his wife, and his mother, and my best friends whoa re like a brother and sister to me. We're just trying to expand the house a bit to fit them in, so they can have a place to stay while they work up the money to but a place of their own for their families. You know how much houses can be these days," said Kagome as Mr. and Mrs. Etai nodded in understanding.

"Perhaps we can come over to your home today and meet some of your family and friends. Where exactly is that you live?" said Mr. Etai.

"The Higuraishi Shrine," replied Kagome.

"Oh! So you're the ones that have been making all the noise with the construction. Well we're your new neighbors," said Mr. Etai embarrassed that he had just blurted out that they were making a lot of noise with their construction.

"Yeah, well we try to keep it quite, sorry if it's disturbed you any," said Yusuke trying to stay on Kagome's good side.

"Oh it's perfectly okay. We're planning on making some additions to our own home eventually, so don't worry," said Mr. Etai nervously as Yusuke eyed him curiously.

"Hmm, why don't you come over later today, just let us get everything straightened out first," said Yusuke as they all agreed and went their separate ways.

"So Yusuke what did you think about them?" asked Kagome curiously.

"Nice people, even though they flinched at my name being mentioned. I'm an urban legend to the humans these days. Only Youkai flinch or cringe at my name, either that or I went to school with them and they heard all the rumors about me," said Yusuke as Kagome just looked at him like he was joking. "What? I'm serious there were all kinds of rumors about me. Some mentioned that I could call hundreds of bikers and gangsters by just whistling and I couldn't whistle!"

"So what do you think they're hiding?" asked Kagome.

"That they're Youkai, I don't know what kind, but they're probably afraid that I will turn them into the Reikai. I won't, they don't own me, even though they'd like too. I'm not going to turn them in, but I will find out if they're a danger to us and Shippo most of all," said Yusuke as Kagome kissed his cheek softly.

"You're a good father and husband Yusuke," said Kagome as they arrived at the shrine and climbed the forsaken steps.

A Few Hours Later

When the Etai's arrived at the Higuraishi Shrine they were surprised to see a male Fire and Ice Koorime melting the snow and ice away from the house. They were even more surprised when a Silver Kitsune answered the door, though he looked more human than Kitsune. They entered into the house and saw Yusuke sitting on the couch going over an article in front of him that read, Reikai News. On the front page in big bold letters was written: Yusuke Urameshi, Retired Reikai Tantei!

"You're a retired Reikai Tantei!" asked Mr. Etai fearfully.

"According to the New Reikai Government, according to the Old One, I'm a traitor. I'm not going to turn you in to them. I just receive this paper so I can know what's going on in the Reikai. My way of making sure they don't try anything on me ever again. So I'm curious what type of Youkai are you anyway?" asked Yusuke.

"We're Black Silver Kistunes," said Mrs. Etai as she nudged her husband in the ribs. "We don't want any trouble. We left the Makai because we were tired of all the politics and the constant raids by the Reikai."

"I see, well I'll tell you now, I'm a Toushin hanyou, Kagome is human, and Shippo is a Red Onyx Kitsune. We have an Inu hanyou here as well, along with a female Ice Koorime, a Silver Kitsune, two Wolves, two Taijiya, two Miko's, a monk, and a Reikan who was a Spirit Guide," said Yusuke as he smiled at them politely and sincerely.

"Then let this be the start of a beautiful friendship between our families, extended, blood, and in-laws," said Mr. Etai as he gripped Yusuke's hand tightly.

"Okay Shippo, you can let your illusion slide," said Yusuke as Shippo let it slide as he came out of hiding.

"Wow Shippo your cute!" said Karen, causing Shippo to blush and grin.

"Thanks, but not as much as you are," replied Shippo blushing even more as Karen started blushing as well.

After that exchange of words the two little Kitsune's ran upstairs to play. Leaving the adults to just smile and continue to talk about their lives.

-

Sango and Kohaku were having the time of their lives at the arcade. They were spending some quality brother and sister time together. Something they hadn't had much time for in the past few years. They talked about everything, even their time in the Feudal Era while hunting and being controlled by Naraku, something that was very hard for the both of them to speak about.

"Let's just be grateful that he's gone for good and won't ever bother us again," said Kohaku with a smile as Sango smiled as well and nodded in agreement too. "Now why don't we go see if we can find something that will make Hiei's head turn tonight?"

"Okay, but I have final say so on whatever I get to tease Hiei with," said Sango.

"That's fine with me, now what does Hiei like to see you in the most?" asked Kohaku.

"Nothing, he likes to see me the most wearing nothing at all," said Sango blushing in embarrassment as Kohaku's eyes widened in understanding.

"I see, well what about second?" asked Kohaku.

"Um… my undergarments," said Sango. "I usually just wear undergarments that don't show anything off."

"Then you'll have to get something that will show something off to him. I think I heard Inuyasha talking to Kikyo about something called lingerie, the type that barely covers the lower area and the part that is about a size too small and shows off her cleavage quite a bit. Maybe you should get something like that, something to wear for him," said Kohaku as Sango was crimson red by now as she pictured herself wearing something like Kohaku had just described to her.

"Okay, but we should let a professional help me out," said Sango as Kohaku nodded having a slight blush upon his face and his own thoughts which betrayed him as Sango giggled nervously.

When the arrived at the lingerie store Sango was immediately shooed out of the store as she saw a picture of herself in the window. Under her picture it said she was a known shoplifter and has assaulted many store employees. Angry at the picture she stormed off to another store and was again shooed out until they came to the last store, it just happened to be Tina the Ice Kitsune's store where Sango's picture was as well. But Sango was angry and barged into the store with Kohaku right behind her.

"I'm sorry you are not allowed in here," said Tina.

"You had better allow me or my mate will have fun slicing and dicing you! We are friends of Yoko Kurama, Lord of the Southern Lands!" snapped Sango angrily.

"I see. Then shop away, but so you know a brunette, angry with a dark haired woman mated to a dark haired man with hair that sticks straight up like fire, put that in my window. Her mate threatened to harm me if I take it down and he could very well harm me," said Tina nervously.

"The big oaf mated to the angry brunette won't do anything to you. Remember you are under the protection of the Lord of the Southern Lands. I'll make sure Yoko Kurama puts you under his protection or else he will be in much trouble with his cousin. Now I need something that will make me seem very appealing to my mate without be nude," said Sango embarrassingly as she went on to explain what she wanted.

"Hmm, what type of Youkai is your mate?" asked Tina curiously.

"He's a male Ice and Fire Koorime," replied Sango.

"Hmm, tricky, tell me has he been prone to attack anybody who insults you or glare at anyone who even takes quick peaks at your butt?" asked Tina curiously.

"All the time, I've had to hold onto his arm very tightly just so he wouldn't dissect them," said Sango.

"Then I have just what you want, it's about two sizes two small and with your body frame and structure, you're going to need a large size extremely sexy lingerie bra one size too small. You're going to need an extremely sexy thin string lingerie thong, also one size too small and then you're going to have to need to shave. I can help you with all of this if you like, except the more private areas. Now young man I need you to man the register while I tend to your sister. The instructions are next to it if you have any difficultly," said Tina as she led Sango into the back and extremely private area of her store, where she showed Sango different outfits that would catch the attention of Fire and Ice Koorime's alike.

Three Hours Later

Sango and Kohaku returned to the Higuraishi Shrine, very nervous around each other. Especially Kohaku as he couldn't stop thinking about Rui in the outfits he had seen Sango carrying out of the back and purchase. He was very interested in her as much more than friends or girlfriend and boyfriend, he wasn't sure, but he thought he was in love with Rui already.

That night at dinner everyone saw that they had a guest over who was a Kitsune. She was introduced to everyone as Shippo's girlfriend, causing him and Karen to both choke on their drinks and start blushing madly.

"So Kohaku have you found someone your really interested in?" asked Yusuke teasingly.

"Um… uh… that is…" stammered Kohaku nervously while blushing.

"I see, what's her name Kohaku?" asked Kagome slyly, causing him to blush even more.

"Rui Enzeru," replied Kohaku blushing even more at the images that just popped into his mind, causing Hiei to smirk at whisper something to Kurama, who just grinned slyly at Kohaku, causing him to blush even more cursing his thoughts.

"Do you want her more than a friend? More than a girlfriend perhaps?" asked Kurama, causing Kohaku to shrink in his seat in embarrassment.

"That's none of your business Kurama!" replied Kohaku angrily and nervously at the same time.

"I apologize, you're right it is none of my business, but it is your sisters business and Hiei's business," said Kurama as Kohaku nearly choked on his drink at the thought that it was Hiei's business as well. "I recommend you ask her out and start courting her."

"Um… thanks I guess," said Kohaku as they ate dinner in silence, until Sango remembered her hard time at the mall.

"Kurama, you need to put Tina under your protection! The big oaf and his wife are going around and putting up posters, saying I'm a known thief! You are the known thief, you're a legend!" said Sango as her anger got the better of her. "I apologize, Kurama. It's just that they are doing their best to drive me out of this city!"

"I have already put her under my protection at Yukina's request," said Kurama. "But I take it that she told you the consequences if she tried to do anything against them?"

"Yeah, she might be hurt!" snapped Sango as she excused herself from the table and went to take a nice relaxing bath and to cool down.

"Hiei, I believe that she may be right, you must move to another city some time. It may help her relax a bit, which could help her be a better mother," said Kurama softly. "Which reminds me, how are the two soon to be mothers doing?"

"I'm doing okay Kurama, but I've had these weird cravings. I've wanted ice cream and medium rare steak together," said Kagome. "Plus he or she has been kicking a lot more lately, is this good?"

"Hmm, your cravings are from the Toushin part of your unborn child and this is good, it means that your unborn child is very healthy. Plus the kicking is also very good, it means that your nearing your time to give birth," said Kurama carefully. "But don't take my word for it. Take the word of one who has given birth to five children with Youkai blood in them."

"He's right Kagome. You get very weird cravings when carrying a child with Youkai blood that isn't diluted very much or dormant. I myself get the same cravings and have felt him or her kicking very much lately," said Kikyo.

"Hmm… I would hazard a guess that your children's births are drawing very near. Within the next week to three months I would say at the latest," said Kurama softly, yet very seriously.

-

Later that night after Sango had enjoyed her long and relaxing bath, she dressed herself in the undergarments she had purchased that day to try and get Hiei to notice her a bit more. He had been more to himself trying to figure out why Shippo and Kohaku weren't trying to get him to fall off his usual seating area on the window seal again. When she entered their room she noticed he was not there waiting for her like he usually was. So she set about to making sure no electricity was accessible to their room and lit some candles placed in various areas instead, hoping to produce the atmosphere that would help send Hiei the right message.

When Hiei entered into the room he and Sango shared he immediately noticed that there were candles lit about the room, giving it a glow that revealed the shadows partially, yet kept them hidden enough as not to reveal their secrets. Turning his eyes towards their bed he immediately noticed Sango's figure covered by a short and silk robe, revealing her legs to him suggestively. Moving slowly, like a predator stalking its prey, he found Sango waiting for him and with an animalistic urge in her eyes, which surprised him. Grinning to himself in his mind he slowly removed the robe and was going to remove the undergarments as well, but something in the back of his mind told him to wait. Looking her over, he immediately knew that she had done this just for him and only him.

"You didn't need to do this for me Sango," murmured Hiei softly looking her over taking in every detail of her body in the lingerie.

"I know, but I wanted to. Letting you see me in this lingerie in this atmosphere and room makes it all the more exciting, romantic, and possibly, later on more pleasurable," whispered Sango back to Hiei huskily as he kissed her fiercely.

Their pass time for the night did not go unnoticed by the rest of the house hold, as they were keeping them up with the sounds of their fun and enjoyment. Kagome, Kikyo, Yukina, Botan, and Ayame were all amazed at how long the noises lasted and how short the intervals were between the noises. It went on like this all night and to say the least, their mates were all very happy that night.

One Week Later

Kohaku and Shippo's time in school was now enjoyed a lot more. Shippo and Karen were best friends and practically inseperable. Shippo would protect her from bullies, while she would protect him from all the other girls trying to kiss him or spread gossip about him and his family. (Amazing how young they start isn't it?)

Meanwhile Kohaku and Rui were officially a couple and also nearly inseperable. They gave each other plenty of space and didn't really listen to the rumors that were flying through the school about them, because they were content with each other.

That day after they had gotten out of school they came home to find the shrine decorated again, like it had been when the two weddings had taken place. When they entered into the house they were immediately taken upstairs and told to change into their dress clothing, which they did the moment the doors had shut. After they finished changing they made their way downstairs, where they were given their instructions.

Kohaku was to carry a very special item as he waited with Hiei, Yusuke, and Kurama, while Shippo was to make sure that only those invited to this special event were allowed onto the shrine property, at least pas the top of the stairs. With their instructions given to them they went to the areas they were told to wait at, until the others came and got them to fulfill their assignments.

-

Sango was busy getting dressed in her very special kimono. It was the kimono that had belonged to her mother, before she had died. Her mother had sadly died giving birth to Kohaku a bit prematurely after she had been attacked and wounded by a Spider Youkai. With her last breaths she had given her last gift to Sango, her kimono, the one that was special to her. Sango at the time didn't know what was so special about it and for a time had hated Kohaku for taking away her mother. That was the way she thought of it at the time, but as time went on she saw a lot of their mother in Kohaku, but also their father.

'I wish you could be here today mother. What would you and father say to me marrying a Youkai?' thought Sango.

_We would be proud of you Sango, you have found someone that loves you dearly and that you love dearly. Both of you would give your lives for the other._

Sango didn't know whether or not she actually heard her mother or if it was just her imagination, but never the less it seemed that a great burden had been lifted from her shoulders. She now had more than enough strength and courage to carry through with the ceremony. Finishing dressing, she knocked on the door for Kagome's opinion, but she was a bit disappointed when Mizu came in and not Kagome.

'Where is Kagome at!' thought Sango irritably.

"Morning sickness," replied Mizu as if reading her mind.

"Oh, well what do you think? How do I look?" asked Sango.

"Beautiful, your mother would be proud Sango, I know I am. You're like a second daughter to me Sango. I'd be honored if you would consider me your second mother. I know I won't ever be able to take the place of your real mother, and I would never want to, but it just seems right somehow to give you this offer," said Mizu softly.

"I'd be the one that is honored. I've considered you my second mother even before I met you. From the way Kagome describes you, your just like my mother was and much more," said Sango smiling. "Now let's not keep the guests waiting!"

"Yes, your right and thank you Sango," said Mizu with a smile.

­-

In the Ceremony Hall everyone was gathered and awaiting the bride's entrance. Almost instantly as everyone wondered what was taking so long the flower girls came through and then the music started with the bride coming down the aisle being escorted by Inuyasha who gave her a friendly kiss on the cheek at the end of the aisle as he handed her off to Hiei.

"Take good care of her or I'll personally rip your innards out!" warned Inuyasha like an overprotective brother.

Hiei merely nodded and smirked at Inuyasha as he took Sango's arm in his own, approaching the front of the altar.

"Dearly beloved we are gathered here today to witness the marriage of these two people. Marriage is a sacred union, which should never be taken lightly, between two people who love each other deeply. It has been requested that I skip the normal routine and use an older version instead, so here goes my best," said Miroku causing Genkai to whack him upside the head telling him to get on with the ceremony.

(I can't think of what to put so I'll just skip ahead a little to the vows.)

"They have chosen not to give any vows, as they have said that there is no need. They have also said that their vows have already been given to one another in their hearts and souls," said Miroku. "Sango Taiyou, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love and to hold and to cherish, in sickness and in health, in good and bad times, so long as you both shall live, 'til death do you part?"

"I do," replied Sango softly.

"Hiei Koorime-Jaganshi, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love and to hold and to cherish, in sickness and in health, in good and bad times, so long as you both shall live, 'til death do you part?" asked Miroku sternly.

"I do… baka," replied Hiei causing Sango to smile and giggle at his last statement to Miroku, who was glaring at Hiei angrily.

"Then by the power invested in me, I now pronounce you both husband and wife," said Miroku slipping a "I'm a baka" sign on Hiei's back, which instantly caught fire and burned to ashes.

"Nice try Miroku, but you'll have to do better than that to get my mate!" said Sango proudly as she whacked Miroku upside his head, which also happened to be the same side that Genkai had whacked him.

Once out the makeshift door Sango tossed her bouquet backwards over head, causing all the girls, except Yukina and Kagome to rush towards it. When the small crowd of people had separated, they revealed the person who had caught the bouquet. It happened to be Botan and Kikyo who had caught seemingly at the same time.

"Who caught it first?" asked Sango curiously.

"We both caught it at the same time," replied Kikyo with Botan seconding it.

"Then your both the next ones to get married!" said Kagome enthusiastically.

"Weren't you sad just a moment ago?" asked Kouga curiously.

"Mood swings," whispered Mizu to Kouga who was the recipient of an angry glare from Kagome, Sango, Ayame, Botan, Yukina, and Kikyo.

"My apologies," said Kouga putting his hands in front of him like he was surrendering.

"I can't believe you just surrendered!" laughed Inuyasha.

"Yeah, well I don't want to get creamed either! Would you fight six angry women at once? Two who are pregnant with Youkai children?" snapped Kouga as Inuyasha turned to look at the girls and paled instantly as their angry glares were now on him.

"Inuyasha!" said Kagome as Inuyasha paled even more. "SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT!"

Inuyasha was so far into the ground it had everyone moving nervously away from Kagome, except Yusuke and Hiei who stood their ground, trying not to burst out laughing at Inuyasha's predicament.

"Why don't we all go inside now?" suggested Mizu as Shiori came onto the Shrine grounds with a very depressed look upon her face, and her eyes were reddened like she had been crying a lot.

"Shiori?" asked Mizu worriedly.

"It's my husband, he was angry that I moved in with you and not him. He divorced me over it after I started telling him about your troubles. You're my sister and I couldn't just leave you like that," said Shiori as she burst out crying again.

"Mother?" asked Kurama carefully. "Don't worry about it mother, if he would do this to you over something as trivial as helping Aunt Mizu out, then he was not the right man for you. I'm sure that father would be proud of you right now."

"You're right Suichi. He was always suggesting that we move in with Mizu, since her husband died. He would want us all to be a happy family," said Shiori sniffling as she wiped away her tears. "So how is my son doing now that he is all grown up and married and been without his mother for a few months?"

"Very well mother, though we missed you quite a bit," said Kurama. "Quite a bit has happened since you left for your visit. Hiei and Sango have just married and Kohaku and Shippo both have girlfriends."

"She's not my girlfriend! I'm not even old enough to have a girlfriend!" yelled Shippo.

"Technically you are over five hundred years old Shippo, but with the body of a nine year old," said Kurama as Shippo glared at him.

"I see Kohaku didn't deny that he has a girlfriend," said Shiori.

"Because I do and I love her very much," said Kohaku proudly as Sango patted him on the head gently.

"Why don't we all go inside and you can tell me what has happened since I left," said Shiori as they all went inside to get her up to date on everything.

-

_"Soon, very soon, you will know true suffering,"_ said a mysterious figure overlooking the Higuraishi Shrine. _"But not yet, no, now is not the time nor the place, we will meet again Kumori Wraiths."_

-

A/N: Well that's it for chapter twelve. Sorry it's taken so long, but I've had a bit of a hectic schedule and have had little time to actually sit down and finish this properly. I can't really think of anything else to say, so here's the poll.

What did you think of this chapter?

What should happen next?

Do you think I'm loosing my touch with this story?

Who do you think the mysterious figure is?

What race is he/she?

Well that's it for the poll. Hope you like this chapter, until next time.

-Shadow Kage

* * *


	13. Love, Faith, and the Wedding III

Chapter Thirteen: Love, Faith, and the Wedding III

A/N: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed and I'm sorry to say for those of you have reviewed answering my poll questions from earlier chapters, but those polls are closed. But don't get mad or stop reading anything I post, myself and another author are currently working on another YYH/IY story, completely unrelated to the RTTP series. Now onto the next chapter and I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: Melfina's Song Lyrics, from Outlaw Star, not owned by me!

-

Two weeks had passed since Shiori returned to the Higurashi Shrine. Three days since she explained what occurred since she left to visit a friend and her husband, now ex-husband. Life had changed at the small shrine: Kohaku and Shippo both made new friends, of which they were constantly teased for having. Hiei and Sango, married, decided against having an abrupt honeymoon, because of a gut feeling it would be wrong and do an injustice. For it was the season of union: the month of December, in which Christmas would greet them in the upcoming week! The weather remained fair; it had not been as rotten as it had only weeks before. Kohaku and Shippo, now out of school for the winter and the holiday, were both excited about more time they could spend with their girlfriends during this season of union.

"Mom, I'm going over to Karen's, okay?" yelled Shippo.

"Okay, but be back before dinner," replied Kagome, with a tear sliding down her right cheek, as Shippo happily ran off towards Karen's house.

"What's wrong Kagome?" asked Yusuke as he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her comfortingly.

"It's Shippo. He's growing up so fast, the first time I met him he was so scared and lost, but over time he grew on me and I offered to take him on as my son. I was there for his first crush, to the times he had other crushes, and now to the time, where I think at nine years old, he's already fallen in love," said Kagome happily, yet sad at the same time.

"I know what you mean Kagome. I'm glad he's happy and that he's growing up to be healthy and strong, but it's still sad sometimes to see it all happen so fast. But look at it like this Kagome: at least we know he'll be happy," said Yusuke as he nuzzled her neck playfully and contentedly.

"Yusuke, save it for later tonight," said Kagome playfully as she kissed Yusuke passionately. "I love you."

"I love you too, Kagome," said Yusuke.

-

Kohaku and Rui were having the time of their lives in the arcade. They were currently playing a fighting game, with Rui completely beating Kohaku hands down, without Kohaku going easy on her. The current score was, Rui: 09 - Kohaku: 00. A couple of minutes later Rui beat Kohaku making the score, Rui: 10 - Kohaku: 00.

"Geez Rui, where did you learn to play like that!" asked Kohaku shocked and curious. "You wiped the floor with me!"

"I come here a lot when I feel lonely, but since I met you I've actually been spending less and less time here. I'm glad we met, Kohaku," said Rui happily, yet Kohaku could detect the sad tone in her voice too.

"Rui, what's wrong?" asked Kohaku.

"My parents are mad at me. I don't know why, but when I told them about you, they seemed worried, like you were a threat or something. I don't know what to do Kohaku! I've told you all about my life, but I barely know anything about you or your family. Are you hiding something from me, Kohaku? Please... if we're going to be together, then you need to be honest with me, and me you!" said Rui as Kohaku rubbed his eyes and nodded his understanding.

"I was hoping to tell you this when I actually understood everything about this place," said Kohaku quietly. "But I can't tell you here; too many people are around and many would not hesitate to use you or me."

"I understand, let's go to your home," said Rui as Kohaku nodded and they started off towards the Higurashi Shrine.

-

As they walked away, they didn't notice the shadowy figure watching them from the alleyway, watching closely and quietly, so as not to alert them of its presence. It moved quickly and quietly through the alleyways, once it determined where they were going, it frowned angrily and uneasily. It could not get through the wards and barriers surrounding the shrine that prevented its kind from entering without being let through by one who could manipulate the barrier and wards.

'Soon Rui... soon you will know what happens to those who delve into treachery. Yes, very soon you will pay the ultimate cost,' thought the shadowy being angrily.

-

Kohaku led Rui through the Shrine Grounds to a spot where they could speak privately. Turning to her he locked eyes with her and saw that she was curious, afraid, and nervous, but also trustful of him. He sighed quietly to himself and began his life's story.

Two Hours Later

When Kohaku finished, Rui looked at him in complete disbelief, thinking he was lying to her to cover up his past. However, she saw in Kohaku's eyes that he was telling the truth, but he was afraid that she would reject and leave him, breaking his heart.

"I don't know what to say, Kohaku. I want to believe you, but I can't seem to be able to. Youkai don't exist; they're mythological. And even if they did, where are they? How come nobody has seen them?" asked Rui sadly.

"What makes you think you haven't seen them? They're all around us; some of them can blend into a crowd, because they look just like you and me, like humans. Others live in hiding, in the underworld of each city," said Kohaku gesturing all around the two of them. "Why do you think we're so selective of who we let onto the shrine grounds?"

"I figured because you don't want anybody kidnapping the children that live here," said Rui simply.

"True, but we also know that many Youkai would love to hold the children that live here hostage against us. I can prove that Youkai exist, Rui!" said Kohaku pleadingly.

"How?" asked Rui.

"Because my sister is married to one, and my adopted sister Kagome is married to a hanyou!" said Kohaku as Rui glared at him angrily.

"Kohaku!" said Rui angrily as she slapped him and ran off crying.

"Rui," said Kohaku sadly as he fell down to his knees sobbing.

-

When Rui arrived home she noticed her parents were home, but there was also a guest. They all looked at her angrily and with obvious disgust in their looks.

"Have I done something wrong?" asked Rui.

"You were with the filth of a boy again, weren't you?" said Rui's father.

"Yes, I was with Kohaku, but not anymore; I broke it off after he lied to me," said Rui.

"Tell us what he told you!" demanded her mother.

So Rui explained everything to them that she had been told, but she noticed that they weren't agreeing with her that he was lying.

"He was lying, wasn't he?" asked Rui.

"Oh no, that insolent fool told you the truth. He is indeed from the Feudal Era, for he and several others disappeared five hundred years ago. It seems they came to this time. Now take us to where he is staying at once!" said her father angrily.

"I can't, he said there was a barrier around the place he lives, as well as many wards," said Rui.

"The shrine!" said the one that had remained quite. "So that is where he lives. Just as I suspected he did. We will need more than just brute force and spells to get the ones that live there. That is the home of the Son of Raizen!"

"WHAT?" exclaimed her father. "The Son of Raizen, Lord Roizen of the Northern Lands! We cannot hope to match his power!"

"No, we can't, but… my master can. He was there five hundred years ago when the Spider Hanyou Naraku was killed. He left to plot for five centuries... for five centuries he plotted his revenge and has watched his enemies grow up, noting every possible weakness. He even watched his own past-self's defeat by the hands of the Son of Raizen," said the quiet one. "I am Zetsuna, commonly known as Suna, right hand Youkai of my master. You will not know his name, only that he is a Youkai Lord of the Mekai. There were once five Mekai Lords and/or Ladies. He was one of the five, the most powerful of all five."

"Who were the other four? Do they still live?" asked Rui's father while Rui was thoroughly confused.

"Oh some still live, one rules in the Makai now. They each await the day that all five of them will reunite to bring forth the Mekai once again. Another is the descendant of one, but does not even know it." He paused as a chuckle erupted from his mouth. "Not yet, anyway. Three are dead, two have descendants, while one spot remains to be filled by one that my master deems worthy. Now we shall wait for my master's orders to attack. In the meantime, kill the girl; she knows too much now," said Zetsuna.

"Why not keep her alive as bait to lure the boy out and then kill him?" asked Rui's father.

"FATHER!" exclaimed Rui.

"Shut up, girl!" said her father as he slapped her across the face hard, knocking her onto the floor. "Don't call me that! Your parents are dead; we killed the two of them years ago. You just happened to be a convenient way to hide from the Reikai!"

"You killed them? Then who are you!" said Rui angrily.

"I am Aquastrike, a male Water Koorime Youkai!" said the male who had pretended to be her father for years. "Your so-called mother is Icestrike, a female Ice Koorime Youkai! You are quite lucky to still be alive to this day. Normally you would have been dead when we killed your parents, but you were needed to maintain the illusion that we were humans."

Rui threw her head back in outrage, screaming, "You bastard!" Instantly, Rui drew her pocket knife and, with speed supplied by her anger, stabbed Aquastrike in the gut, twisted the metal, causing more pain than before to Aquastrike, before running for her seemingly unreachable escape: the door.

"Oh, no you don't, you little bitch!" said Icestrike.

Rui quickly turned and nearly ran into Zetsuna, but quick thinking saved her from his wrath. Instead of going for the front door and windows, she ran down the hall and out the open back door into the alleyway. Running as fast as she could, she ran towards the only place she could think of: the Higurashi Shrine. Right as she passed halfway through the barrier around the shrine, she was grabbed from behind. Instead of turning to see who it was, she screamed loudly and struggled to get further onto the shrine grounds.

"Hiraikotsu!" came a loud voice as giant boomerang came flying through the air and severed the arm of the one who grabbed her.

Crashing to the ground by the sudden change of nobody holding her back, she saw that it was Icestrike's arm that had grabbed her. Grabbing the arm still attached to her arm, she threw it off and scrambled up the steps quickly and hid behind her savior.

"Quickly, get inside the house and don't come out 'til I tell you to!" said the woman Rui recognized as Sango, who was also the one who saved her life.

"Okay," replied Rui as she ran inside the house.

"You insolent little bitch!" screamed Icestrike angrily. "This does not concern you!"

"It does when you attack my little brother's girlfriend! Hiraikotsu!" yelled Sango angrily as she let loose the giant boomerang on Icestrike, effectively slicing her in half, even though she tried to block it with an ice shield.

"Although you--" A cough. "--beat me, he will come for you! He knows all--" Another cough. "--about you and your petty friends! He who is the nemesis to--" A strangled sound. "--the Son of Raizen shall come for you!" In this instance of strange, cryptic prophecy, Icestrike's hand fell, as did the last breath of the end of her evil life.

"Huh?" questioned Sango confused.

"So he lives after all," said Kurama as Sango jumped at his sudden appearance.

"Who lives?" asked Sango.

"The King of the Mekai, Yakumo," replied Kurama. "He was one of the strongest Youkai we have ever fought and the most dangerous too."

"I see, so he plans to have revenge on Yusuke," said Sango.

"Yes and no; I believe he wants us all dead. He has more than likely been watching us our entire lives. Except for you, Kohaku, Inuyasha, Kikyo, their children, Botan, and Miroku; you all either lived in the Feudal Era or in the Reikai, where he couldn't watch you, at least not yet anyway. Who knows what is going through his mind or what he has done. All I can tell you is this: be on your guard at all times. When the direct approach does not work, then most use subtlety, caution, and stealth to achieve their goal or goals," said Kurama cautiously. "For now I will reinforce the traps around the shrine grounds for the upcoming celebrations. Meanwhile, have Kagome, Kikyo, and Botan reinforce the barrier and wards. The final battle is coming. When it does, expect to mercy, show no mercy, and most importantly of all, do not trust all your memories, do not trust everything you hear, do not trust everything you see, and do not trust everyone you see."

Sango nodded and hurried off to let the others know what Kurama suggested they do, while he remained behind and studied the scene before him. There lay a dead female Ice Koorime, his worst fear being that it might one day be Yukina in the spot of this female Ice Koorime lying dead at his feet, while he could do nothing to stop it from happening.

-

"Kagome, Kikyo, Botan, everyone!" yelled Sango.

"What is it, Sango? What's going on out there? One minute you go out with your giant boomerang and the next Rui is in here scared so badly she cuddled up in a corner and hasn't moved since," said Kagome worriedly.

"A female Ice Koorime attacked her, but I took care of her. Listen! In her last words she said the nemesis to the Son of Raizen will come for us."

**-Crash!**-

"Yusuke, are you okay?" asked Sango worriedly as Kagome went over to his side.

"Yakumo... is my nemesis. I thought that he might have died in the final battle with Naraku or that Enma might have gotten him, but it seems I was wrong. Now everyone is danger and he will more than likely know everything about us, our strengths, our weaknesses, our loved ones, everything!" said Yusuke as he punched the floor in despair and fear.

"Yusuke, it's not your fault! Besides, you're a lot stronger than you were when you first fought him, right?" asked Kagome as Yusuke nodded, agreeing with her. "Then you should have no problem beating him this time."

"Maybe, but he's also gotten stronger. I can feel it in my bones; this will be the final battle between us. I'm also pretty sure he has the missing part of the Shikon Jewel as well. So this isn't just about me, us... it's about the damn Jewel too," said Yusuke.

"Yes, he originally created it then you purified and destroyed the Jewel. Afterwards, Midoriko recreated it, and was sent through who knows how many guardians. Later, I shattered it and have been able to purify it solely since," said Kagome. "It's my duty to protect the Jewel from evil and corruption, so don't try to leave me behind when you go to fight Yakumo, okay?"

"I won't, because you're not going. I won't endanger our child like that. I couldn't bear to lose another loved one," said Yusuke.

"I know, I know, but I'm due anytime now Yusuke, so don't worry so much," said Kagome.

Yusuke nodded and they left the room, dragging everyone else but Kohaku with them as they went to the kitchen.

-

Kohaku approached Rui slowly and carefully as not to startle her. When he was next to her, he finally plucked the feather of courage to sit beside her, in which she reacted to with a sudden embrace of understanding. As she cried on his shoulder, Kohaku wrapped his arms around Rui, feeling that if he let go, he too would cry at the image of her heartbroken state. Sympathetically, he began to sing the lullaby his sister had sung to him in his times of trouble and nightmares.

**_I don't know what words I can say  
The wind has a way to talk to me  
Flowers sleep, a silent lullaby  
I pray for reply  
I'm ready_**

Sango, who had come to check on Kohaku and Rui, froze when she heard the lullaby she used to sing to him being sung by Kohaku, only this time to comfort the one_ he_ wished to protect: Rui. A tear came to her eye as she realized that her baby brother was no longer a baby anymore; he was growing up. He was in love and his heart was breaking because of how scared Rui was and because he didn't like seeing her scared or sad.

**_Quiet days calm me_  
_Oh, serenity_  
_Someone please tell me_  
_Ohhmm, what is it they say?_  
_Maybe I will know one day_**

Once frightened at her sudden state of being alone in the world, Rui stopped as she listened to Kohaku's soothing voice of tranquility. Nobody had ever been this caring towards her; not the Youkai she had thought were her parents, none of the people she had ever been friends with, except Kohaku. She couldn't just hear the emotion in his voice; she could feel it as well. It brought a tear to her eye as she listened closely to him sing slowly. It brought back her feelings of how she felt for Kohaku. She didn't care where he was from or what he had done or gone through in his past, for the past was just that, and it would always remain that: the past.

**_I don't know what words I can say_  
_The wind has a way to talk to me_  
_Flowers sleep, a silent lullaby_  
_I pray for reply_  
_I'm ready_**

When Kohaku finished the song, Rui was no longer crying, but was instead leaning upon him. Glancing down at her comforted form, Kohaku protectively snaked his arms around her waist as he simultaneously kissed the top of her tender forehead. He loved her with all his heart and soul, he wished to spend the rest of his life with her, but if she didn't then he would gladly let her go; for if that's what she wished, as long as Rui was happy...so was Kohaku.

-

A Few Hours Later

Sometimes what we don't understand are the things that make us the happiest. Just because we don't fully understand it doesn't mean it's a bad thing. Love is the perfect example, for it can be described in so many ways, yet what it really means eludes us to this day. But we know that it makes us happy, angry, sad, and it's what helps make us who we truly are. Kouga himself never truly knew what it felt like to be in love until he met Ayame again after so many years. And even then, he was blind to his feelings, simply because he was infatuated with Kagome. But when Ayame was in danger and the great possibility of her dying or being miserable for the rest of her life occurred, he had followed his heart and instincts. Now here he was with the one he loved, with his mate, the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. And he had never been as happy as he was at that moment of his life.

'Heh, whoever thought that I would end up with a mate? Especially one as beautiful and luscious as Ayame,' thought Kouga as he nuzzled her neck tenderly, causing her to purr gently against his muscular chest.

Originally, Ayame's purrs baffled the young wolf, but he soon became accustomed to it, seeing as how whenever she did purr he was near her and making her feel loved. Eventually he would make her purr just to hear it, so he could reassure himself that it was not a dream, that it wasn't too good to be true, just to tell her how much he loved her and that he was loved in return. It was her idea to have a human style wedding, especially if they were going to live in the mountains again, in their solitude, away from those people. She wanted to feel like she belonged where they were and that they weren't just intruders in this new time. Kouga had immediately agreed with her, when she mentioned it, telling her that he'd like it too.

It was to be their wedding, but they didn't want the monk or the old miko to perform the ceremony. They wanted Kagome to, since it was she whom had brought them together, if not by her own will, then by the chance of them each meeting her and her helping them. She had complied, but only if Yusuke was near her, for lately she began to feel lonely when Yusuke wasn't near her. This was to be understood, since she was carrying his child and was due any day. Kouga had noticed the way Yusuke would be overprotective of Kagome, but still leave her enough room to do as she wished. It was something that many could learn from... And yes, it was okay to be protective of one's wife and unborn child, even a bit overprotective, as long as he didn't do anything to make his wife feel obsolete or worthless.

"Ayame," whispered Kouga.

"Hmm, yes Kouga?" said Ayame as she nuzzled up against his chest.

"I love you," said Kouga kissing her forehead.

"I know, I love you too Kouga," replied Ayame kissing Kouga on the lips gently.

'I've died and gone to heaven!' thought Kouga as he returned Ayame's kiss.

'He's so gentle, yet he is so rough too. Perfect,' thought Ayame as the two of them began to show each other how much they loved one another in different ways.

-

Miroku himself was enjoying his time with Botan. He loved her very much and didn't really care as much anymore about having children. Just as long as he was with Botan, he was happy. And yet... Sometimes, the same question came to him. He knew it was an inane question, yet it was one that would not leave his senses; such a plague could not leave his thoughts until he found the cure; the answer; the solution that came at the price of being what he feared: questioned. But now, his fear was slowly waning; the fear which he wished were the doubts that would not leave until he confirmed such trifles with Botan. But what if she -- his throat became dry at this horror-- left him?

"Miroku, is something wrong?" asked Botan curiously, sensing her love's trouble.

"Yes and no; I've been meaning to talk to you about this for a while, but."

"You're afraid that whatever it is, I might take it the wrong way and leave you?" said Botan slowly.

"Yes," replied Miroku. "I love you very much, Botan, and want to spend the rest of my life with you, but this one question keeps bothering me, especially when I think of how things could have been for us, for you, for me, for everybody. What if --" He hesitated; this was the woman he loved! Certainly she would understand! "What if I'd never met you? What if I hadn't been given the chance to meet you? What if I'd never met you and my bloodline died out?"

"Such silly, questions, but still I admit, I've often wondered what life might have been like too if we'd never met, but then I think of all the good times we've had together. And all the bad times too. Then I find myself asking, do I love him? Would I spend the rest of my life with him? Would I sacrifice everything to be with him? Would I give my life for his? Each time I tell myself, yes, and it feels so right. I love you Miroku, but you need to answer these questions for yourself, and maybe then, silly --" She touched the bridge of his nose lightly with her finger as she began to rise from the bed. "--you'll find your answer." Botan, content with her words, slipped out of their bed, pulled a robe on, and went downstairs for something to drink.

'Do I love her? Would I spend the rest of my life with her? Would I sacrifice everything to be with her? Would I give my life for hers? I can't bring myself to say no! It just… it just doesn't feel right, deep down I feel that she is the one for me, the one I'm meant to be with. I love her with all my heart and soul, I would do anything for her -- anything just to see her smile, just to see her happy,' thought Miroku as he fell into a deep comfortable sleep and into a familiar pleasant dream.

When Botan came back up she was about to be angry and saddened when she saw Miroku asleep. Nearly jumping to the wrong conclusion and leaving him, just as he feared, but somehow she could tell he had found inner peace. He had found the answer that had been eluding him, the answer to the question that had been plaguing for so long.

"I love you, Miroku," whispered Botan into his ear.

"I love you too, Botan," murmured Miroku as a reply in his sleep.

This brought a smile to Botan's face as she slid back into bed next to him and snuggled up to him and fell asleep. Both were in the distant land of pleasant dreams, in which all vague questions had been answered, and all uncertain things clarified; the two fell asleep, knowing that they loved and were loved.

-

While everyone else slept and while everything that had happened to Rui that day was shocking and upsetting, Shippo remained blissfully ignorant, as he was not yet occupied with such trouble. He was spending the night at his girlfriend's home, getting to know her and her family even more.

Flashback

Hours had since passed after Shippo ran to greet Karen and her family. They both returned extremely excited and hopeful, obviously desiring something greatly from the higher authority: Shippo's parents.

"Mom, Dad!" yelled Shippo.

"In the living room!" replied Yusuke.

The two kitsunes quickly dashed into the room and found Kagome and Yusuke watching TV together.

"Something wrong, Shippo?" asked Yusuke.

"No, it's just... Karen and I were wondering if I could spend the night at her house! Please?" said Shippo.

"I don't know... what do you say, Kagome? You think he's done all his chores for the day?" asked Yusuke teasingly.

"Hmm, well."

"Please! I'll do them all tomorrow and more if I didn't do them all today!" said Shippo.

"Well, it's fine with me, but your mother might be a different story," said Yusuke.

"Oh, Yusuke, quit teasing him like that, he's done all his chores for the day. Okay, but only if Karen's parents agree to it completely. And I mean both of them!" said Kagome.

"They already did!" said Karen happily.

"Okay then, Shippo, go pack some clothes, pajamas, and the other essentials for tonight," said Kagome. "And remember your manners, Shippo, or I might put a rosary around your neck to teach them to you!"

"Yes mom!" said Shippo quickly and happily as he raced upstairs.

-

While Shippo was upstairs Yusuke, Kagome, and Karen initiated conversation.

"Tell me Karen, what exactly can Kagome and I expect from you towards our son?" asked Yusuke.

"Nothing that serious, just some games, maybe some TV, and we can tell Shippo everything there is to know about Black-Silver kitsunes, along with what we know about other kitsune types, except Silver's," said Karen.

"Why not Silver's?" asked Kagome curiously.

"Because of the Silver that lives with you, we thought he would like to tell Shippo about Silver's," said Karen.

"Fair, enough, but I'm curious, what do you have planned for Shippo when you're older? Say about seventeen or eighteen?" asked Yusuke as Karen blushed immensely.

"Well… um… that is…"

"Yusuke!" scolded Kagome. "Quit teasing her like that. It's her business what she has planned for Shippo when they're that age. But when they are that age, I want to know what your plans are! Do you understand me young lady!"

"Yes, Mrs. Urameshi," replied Karen still blushing.

"Good. Ah, here comes Shippo, tell your parents I said hi, okay?" said Kagome.

Karen replied, "Yes Mrs. Urameshi."

Quickly leaving, dragging Shippo behind her, the two kitsunes made their way towards Karen's house.

"Hey Karen, slow down!" said Shippo as he almost lost his footing. "Why are you in such a big hurry?"

"Your parents, they started asking me what I planned for you when we're about seventeen or eighteen," said Karen, blushing crimson red.

"So? What did you tell them?" asked Shippo.

Karen replied, "I couldn't bring myself to say it, I was too embarrassed. I just started blushing."

"Was it really that embarrassing?" asked Shippo. "I don't get what could be so embarrassing that you just start blushing and are unable to tell them?"

So Karen whispered what she wanted to do with him when they were older, causing Shippo to blush greatly too.

"Oh! Well… to tell you the truth, I like you that way too," said Shippo as Karen's blush deepened to a darker crimson red, while Shippo smiled at her.

What happened next would set how their relationship would develop and grow. Karen still blushing turned to Shippo and kissed him right on the lips, shocking him and her. After she broke the kiss she ran off giggling happily. Shippo just stood there for a moment frozen then he touched his lips gently, realizing he had received his first true kiss from a girl. Smiling to himself he ran off after her laughing the whole way.

End Flashback

-

Two Days Later

It had arrived, the day that everyone had been waiting for, especially Kouga and Ayame. It was there wedding day, just days before Christmas itself! Much bonding had been done in the past two days. Kohaku and Rui's relationship had grown stronger than it had been before, now seeing that not everything was has it seemed. So she decided to undergo Taijiya training to better defend her self and others. Her sensei (teacher) was Sango, obviously, since Kohaku himself was finishing his interrupted training.

There was one thing that Sango stressed most of all that they should always remember. One's training is never truly completed. Just because the one training you can offer you no more, does not mean that your training has finished. No, one's training continues until the day that you die.

Karen and Shippo's relationship had also grown. It had grown to the point that the two kitsunes were near inseparable, only when they had to go to the bathroom, bathe, eat, and sleep were they separated from each other. Otherwise they tried their best to stay with the other and not get separated, even if it meant sharing the blame and the punishment for trouble they caused together and independently.

Miroku and Botan's troubles had been resolved. Each was content to be with the other. Loving, being loved, caring, be cared for. Each were things they could now see that they had, even when things seemed to be shaky and on the verge of collapsing. They loved each other and their friends. They had been through much together, apart from each other, and even before they had ever met one another. But now they were together and they were enjoying each day to its fullest. Now though, they would undergo a new step in their journey together. They would undergo a step in their lives that would test them like never before, they would be given a test that would help shape who they could and/or would become later in their lives.

Kikyo and Inuyasha, they had been a bit reclusive that past few weeks, but that was to be expected since Kikyo was due any day. Inuyasha giving into his instincts to protect his mate and unborn child had become hostile towards all other males. But he had agreed, for Kikyo's sake to restrain himself for the ceremony. He was nervous and quit irritable, especially since his mate was around other males. He had to constantly restrain sudden urges to attack the others. But it was with this desire to make Kikyo happy, that he found himself, for the first time in a long time, truly happy with his life. He was a father already, but he was always protective of his children and none could blame him for it. He didn't want them to have a childhood like his own, which was why he was determined to protect Kikyo and help her all he could.

Yusuke was mellower when it came to the Youkai instincts to protect his mate. Mainly because he knew she could take care of herself and because he didn't want to hurt her in any way. Kagome was the only woman in his entire life, aside from his mother, that had ever accepted him for what he was, for who he was, and for his urge to help others. Mainly because she had the same urges, to help and protect others, before himself. He had done so on many occasions as a Reikai Tantei, but now he knew his place was at his mate and wife's side. He would stay by her side, never giving into the temptations of other women or into the temptation to leave her and live freely and wildly. He was content, he knew it, Kagome knew it, and everyone else knew it too. The once hostile street punk had become a father and found the joy in the simple things in life.

Kurama and Yukina, what could be said about them, besides the fact that they are quite happy together. One thing could be said, they were very open with each other about their feelings, their dreams, their fears, their desires, and even the temptations of other women and other men. It had made their marriage strong, strong enough so that they could even discuss the possibilities of having children and not having children. Kurama… it turned out he had a great many fears, all mainly concerning Yukina's well being. He had openly admitted to being utterly terrified of losing her and not ever seeing her again. Another fear was that she would abandon him, leaving him all alone. These fears had all been quieted… well most of them any way.

-

Ceremony Tent

Kouga, Inuyasha, and Miroku all stood waiting at the front of the aisle. Each wearing their formal dress clothing. Kouga in his best looking (and cleanest) fur, with his freshly polished armor too. Inuyasha wearing clothing that had been created just for such an occasion. They were mainly the same clothing he usually wore, but this clothing was amazingly spotless, it was in such fresh vibrant colors, and it had the crest of the Royal Dog Youkai Tribe on it, his father's crest. Miroku wore a suit that was given to him by Kagome and Yusuke to use for such an occasion. It felt, to him anyway, restraining, but it made him look very distinguished and handsome, according to Kagome.

She herself stood behind the altar, with Yusuke and Genkai by her side. She was wearing her traditional Miko garbs. Yusuke was wearing his traditional Toushin garbs that showed just who he was, but out of respect for Kagome's family he had their symbol added to it. Kagome also had her symbol and Yusuke's, added to her Miko garbs.

Instead of the traditional wedding music they had the music called: Toki o Koeru Omoi, being played, roughly translated: The Love that Transcends Times. It was a sweet melody that brought out the sorrow and the joy in the tent. Many who had been invited, being close friends were already crying in joy and sadness. Two emotions that went together like: black and white, yet were also complete opposites. Signifying the unity and tranquility of the couples, yet also the independence of the couples too.

When Kikyo came out from behind the veiled curtains of the tent, everyone was in awe at how beautiful she looked, even those who were married already. Wearing her traditional Miko kimono, Kikyo took the breath out of Inuyasha as he gazed at her lovingly. Next came Ayame, wearing a traditional Wolf kimono, she looked beautiful and fragile, yet also able to hold her own, if need be. The last was Botan, who wore a dress customized to fit three different races and cultures together. The Reikan part was the upper half, covering just her breasts and part of her abdomen, while the Youkai part was the lower half, covering from her waistline down to her mid-thighs, and the Ningen part was the veil and outer vest-like dress that flowed about her. Unlike the others she was dressed in a perfect blend of pale blue, pale ruby red, and white.

-

Smiling, Kagome began, "Dearly beloved we are gathered here today…"

-

A/N: I know it's rotten of me to leave off right here, with such a major cliffhanger. But I felt this would be the best part to leave off at. I hope you all enjoy this chapter! I put a lot of effort and time into this chapter, so enjoy!

What did you think of this chapter?

What should happen next?

What do you think of this story overall? (What do you think of the entire story, so far?)

Well that's it for now, hope you enjoyed it. Until next time,

Shadow Kage

* * *


	14. Mysterious Invitation and Surprises

Chapter Fourteen: Mysterious Invitation and Surprises

A/N: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far. There are only a few chapters left in this story, so I'll try and to make them the best that I can for all. Unfortunately, this may mean that it might take longer than usual to get posted for everyone to see. I apologize in advance for all upcoming chapters. But for now, chapter fourteen!

-

Three weeks have passed since Inuyasha, Miroku, and Kouga married, each had decided to postpone their honeymoons for a while. Yusuke had been on edge the entire time after the ceremony, training with the others as much as he could to build up his strength, endurance, speed, and Reiki. Yusuke was putting so much time into his training he was usually left exhausted and in bad shape. But still he pressed on, gradually getting back into the flow of training almost non-stop. Kagome's thoughts often wandered back to the ceremony and just after it.

Flashback

Smiling, Kagome began, "Dearly beloved we are gathered here today to witness the union between these couples. Each will be marrying the love of their life. They have chosen to speak their own vows. Inuyasha Tsume has volunteered to speak first."

Shooting a quick glare at Kagome, Inuyasha began, "Since the first time I met you Kikyo, I've loved you. Even after our… disagreements in the past I still loved you. We've had several wonderful children together and have another on the way. I want to stay with you for the rest of my life. I want to be the father of the rest of the children we have together. But most of all I want to be your husband, I want to be the one to comfort you when your feeling down. I love you Kikyo."

After Inuyasha finishes the entire audience to the ceremony began clapping. Both Inuyasha and Kikyo blushed from embarrassment. They loved each other and always would love each other. Kikyo's vows were pretty the same as Inuyasha's except for a few minor changes.

Kouga was the next one to start, "Ayame, I love you, even if at times I've been bit dense about it. I told you when we were younger, that I would marry you, and here I am. I'm not going to lie to you Ayame; at times I actually didn't remember that promise. But now… now I remember it clearly and will honor it. Plus I vow never to do anything, within my power, to harm you or any children we have together."

Ayame was so happy that she just threw her vows in the trash and kissed Kouga passionately. She had to be pried off Kouga so he could breathe again.

"Well it seems, that some of us can't wait to be married," said Kagome. "But we just have a little longer to wait. Miroku Hoshi has decided to read his own vows."

"Thank you Lady Kagome. Botan, when we first met, I was uneasy because of my feelings towards Sango. But after a little time of getting to know you, I fell in love with you. I realize now, that it was a simple infatuation with Sango and I only really ever saw her as a friend. We've been through much together, even in times of doubt you stuck by my side, you were the guiding light that kept me true to myself. I would sacrifice my life for yours any day, anytime, and anywhere. I love you Botan," said Miroku.

"Beautiful, absolutely beautiful," said Kagome wiping away a tear.

"Miroku, I feel the same way that you do," said Botan simply.

"Now, do you Miroku, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife? To love and to hold, in sickness and in health, in good and bad times, as long as you both shall live, 'til death do you part?" asked Kagome.

"I do," replied Miroku.

"Botan, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband? To love and to hold, in sickness and in health, in good and bad times, as long as you both shall live, 'til death do you part?" repeated Kagome.

"I do," said Botan.

"Very well, hold one minute. Inuyasha, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife? To love and to hold, in sickness and in health, in good and bad times, as long as you both shall live, 'til death do you part?" asked Kagome.

"I do," said Inuyasha.

"Kikyo, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband? To love and to hold, in sickness and in health, in good and bad times, as long as you both shall live, 'til death do you part?" asked Kagome.

"I do," replied Kikyo.

"Very well, one moment, please. Kouga, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife? To love and to hold, in sickness and in health, in good and bad times, as long as you both shall live, 'til death do you part?" asked Kagome sternly.

"Yes, I do," said Kouga.

"Ayame, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband? To love and to hold, in sickness and in health, in good and bad times, as long as you both shall live, 'til death do you part?" asked Kagome again.

"I do," replied Ayame.

"Then by the power invested in me, I pronounce each of you husband and wife. You may each kiss your bride," said Kagome.

Kouga and Ayame immediately kissed each other hungrily, while Inuyasha and Kikyo kissed gently, yet with passion. Miroku and Botan shared a traditional kiss, soft, gentle, passionate, and loving.

When they got to the outside Kikyo was the first to throw her bouquet back into the air. All the girls crowded around and when it fell into the group, they dispersed to see who caught it. It turned out to be Rui who had caught the bouquet and she was blushing bright red from the teasing.

Next was Ayame who threw it very high into the air. When it finally came down into everyone's line of sight, the women gathered around to catch it. But at the last moment it simply disappeared into thin air. Everyone was looking around to see where it when they heard a cough behind them. It turned out to be Tina, the Ice Kitsune, who had caught the bouquet to everyone's surprise.

"Wow, congratulations Tina," said Kagome. "So who is the lucky man?"

"Well… Touya of the Shinobi and I have been courting each other for several months now. We are seriously thinking of marrying by both Youkai standards and human standards," said Tina blushing from embarrassment.

"Well Botan you're the only one who hasn't thrown their bouquet yet, so get on with it!" said Kagome as Botan smirked and threw it into the air like a baseball. "Whoa!"

When it came back down it landed in the hands of someone everyone least expected to be there, one of Kagome's friends, Yuka to be exact.

"Yuka! What are you doing here?" asked Kagome.

"Um, I just came over to see how you were doing Kagome. The others, they aren't the same anymore since you told us all your secrets. It's like they don't like you anymore," said Yuka sadly.

"I was afraid that something like that would have happened. That's why I tried to keep it from you guys, but you're still my friend, right?" asked Kagome hopefully.

"Of course, to tell you the truth, I've been dating someone with very wild red hair and the cutest accent," said Yuka.

"Jin?" asked Yusuke.

"Yes! How did you know?" asked Yuka.

"I've been trying to find him so you could meet him. But it seems that you met up with him anyway. He's a Wind Youkai; he can control the winds around him. He's also a very funny and carefree guy," said Yusuke.

"I know, but what's with the bouquet of flowers?" asked Yuka.

"Well, a friend of ours just got married and that was the bouquet she tossed into the air. Your one of the next ones to get married Yuka!" said Kagome happily to her friend.

"I am! Oh, I'm so happy!" said Yuka.

Smiling Kagome led Yuka inside to meet everyone personally and explain who each person was. After a few hours Yuka left with the bouquet of flowers and many more friends. Kagome was happy for her friend, but was also saddened that she had lost some friends by being honest with them.

End Flashback

Walking in from another brutal training session, Yusuke went upstairs to shower. Kagome watched as he staggered around and worried that he might be overexerting himself. Deciding to take charge she went up to be with her husband, she was going to set him straight, but when she reached their room, she heard him speaking to himself. Looking in she saw that he had collapsed onto the bed and was now in a deep slumber, but he was tossing and turning. Worried for his health, she went to wake him, but he wouldn't. Finally after several minutes, he shot straight up knocking Kagome onto the floor hard. Looking around he saw Kagome on the floor and panicked.

"Kagome! Kagome, are you alright!" asked Yusuke as Kagome groaned. "What happened, Kagome?"

Sitting up slowly she looked at Yusuke and saw the realization and fear suddenly appear. "Oh Kagome, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," said Yusuke reaching towards her to brush away a tear, only to have her scoot away from him in fear. "I see…"

Getting up from the floor he opened a window and jumped out. The only thoughts crossing his mind were those of his betrayal to his wife.

'I hurt her, when I promised never to hurt her… if I can't keep my promises, then I shouldn't be here. Oh Kagome, if you wish for another mate and husband then so be it,' thought Yusuke sadly as he ran through the forest at his top speed.

­Meanwhile back at the house, Kagome registered what she had done. It had been an instinctive reaction to being knocked to the floor. One that had hurt Yusuke, one that had cut him deeply. She had inadvertently driven a large wedge between the two of them, she felt awful, like she didn't deserve to live. Her will to live was draining away slowly.

-

Hiei and Sango were outside sparring with the other, trying to see which of the two of them could last the longest. It was then that suddenly Hiei froze in mid-stride. The result was that Sango knocked him flat onto his back and pinned him.

"Sango, get off me," said Hiei sternly his Jagan Eye flaring, signaling to Sango that something was wrong.

"What is it Hiei?" asked Sango.

"Kagome, Yusuke, something has happened. Her will to live is diminishing. He has left her, he has given his blessings for her to renounce him without consequences," said Hiei slowly. "A mistake has happened, but something else is the cause."

"You find Yusuke, I'll go see Kagome," said Sango sternly as Hiei nodded and quickly sped off to find Yusuke.

Sango took off for the house as quick as she could; hoping Kagome wouldn't do anything stupid. When she finally arrived at the house, she tore inside, running up the stairs quickly. Turning towards Kagome's room she found Kagome on the floor crying her heart out.

"Kagome, what happened?" asked Sango sternly as Kagome started to tell Sango what happened, everything that happened and how she felt because of it. "Kagome, listen to me now! Yusuke loves you, he always will! He feels he has betrayed you! You have to tell him how you feel or you will never see him again!"

"He wouldn't even come back to take care of his children?" asked Kagome shocked and saddened at the same time.

"He's released you from your promise to him! He's released you from your vows to him Kagome. You can choose to renounce him as your husband and mate, as the father to your children! But if you do, then I guarantee you, Kagome, you will never see him again!" said Sango sternly.

"But I hurt him Sango… I really hurt him bad," said Kagome drowning herself in her own self-pity.

"Kagome, please forgive me for what I am about to do, it's for your own good," said Sango as Kagome looked at her confused.

**-SMACK-**

"OW! Sango, why did you hit me? When Yusuke find's out he will rip you apart!" said Kagome angrily.

"No he won't, because he knows I would only do anything to you if I thought it was for your own good," said Sango, "but listen to yourself now. Yes, Yusuke is hurt by your flinching from him after he accidentally hurt you, but its human nature to back away from those who have hurt us, even if it is accidentally. Tell me now though Kagome, do you still love him? Will you give up everything just to be with him?"

"No, not everything, I will not give up my children, Yusuke wouldn't want me to. I still love him though, with all my heart. He would do the same thing if he were in that position, he wouldn't abandon our children, he knows that I wouldn't want that," said Kagome as she and Sango talked about everything that had been bothering Kagome.

-

Elsewhere, Hiei had finally managed to track down Yusuke; he was at the edge of a cliff overlooking the wilderness.

"I can't go back Hiei, not after what I've done to her. I broke my oath, I hurt her," said Yusuke, turning to face Hiei. "I won't ever have attachments again, this way I don't hurt anyone ever again."

"Then jump," said Hiei. "This way you won't hurt anybody ever again."

"No," said Yusuke, "I won't jump, I won't be ordered around! I was ordered around all my life, either by my mother, Keiko, my teachers, Koenma, Raizen, his generals, and many more people! I will not have you order me around Hiei, not because I am King of the Northern Lands of the Makai and not because I am your superior, but because I am better than you will ever be!"

"Then prove it boy," sneered Hiei. "Prove you are worthy of your title, of your kind! Prove to me that you can beat me in all out combat, no rules, no limitations, nothing but pure brutality and bloodshed!"

"Why? Why should I fight you Hiei? I've proven over and over again, that I am better than you," said Yusuke.

"But each time, you held back, because of the spectators. This time there are no spectators, this time it's just you and me. Let us finish what we began the day we first fought against one another. Let us finish that battle to the very end, there is nobody to interfere this time and nothing to give you a lucky shot on my back," sneered Hiei angrily, "this time there will be no luck, this time it is pure skill, power, and technique."

"Fine, we fight until either one is dead, unable to continue, or one conceder's the battle. The victor claims the title of King of the Northern Lands of the Makai, whiter they want it or not," said Yusuke sternly as the two set into a glaring contest, a contest of wills.

Hiei made the first move slashing at Yusuke's throat with his katana, only to have it blocked by Yusuke's katana. Unlike Hiei who only used a katana, Yusuke also used a wakizashi, a shorter version of the katana. Slashing out with it, Hiei was forced to dodge the strike, he was certain he never taught Yusuke anything more than the basics of fighting with a sword. He also knew that Kurama hadn't taught him anything more than how to block attacks, so who had taught him how to use a sword?

"You're probably wondering who taught me how to use a sword to its full potential. Truthfully, I'm pretty much self-taught. I mimicked moves I've seen performed flawlessly, but the one who taught me how to use a sword to its full advantage was none other than your own mate Sango. Haven't you ever wondered how I came to know how to fight? I used to study quite a lot; mainly on the different fighting styles here in Japan," said Yusuke, "but when my Youkai nature awoke, I learned from my father's generals how to fight with the Toushin style. Plus, while I traveled the Makai I ran into quite a few swordsmen that were more than willing to teach me how to use different types of swords and in different styles too."

"They are all weaklings compared to me," snapped Hiei angrily.

"If that's true, then how come you never realized I was armed in the first place?" mocked Yusuke. "It's because I also learned how to use my Youki to shrink my weapons to a size that can easily be hidden. How many more swords do you think I have on me? How many different types of weapons?"

"You are a sneaky one boy, but that won't win you this battle!" snapped Hiei as he charged Yusuke at top speed, when he passed Yusuke he slashed at his waist with his katana, then eh stopped a few behind Yusuke.

Turning he saw Yusuke had ducked under the blow at the last second and had gotten several strikes in on him! "What!" said Hiei dropping to one knee as he felt his chest and found blood. "How!"

"Simple Hiei, while I've been training lately, I've gone over every fight I've ever been in, my entire life's worth of fights. I mentally studied each opponent and allies moves, techniques, everything. You didn't think that Genkai taught me meditation just to clear my mind and focus it, did you? No, she taught me everything she knew, even the stuff she never fully mastered," explained Yusuke, "even the things she thought I wasn't ready for and/or couldn't control and/or master. I have learned everything I can from her, I go back to help her around the shrine. My way of repaying her for everything she has ever done for me, my way of helping her in her last years."

"It won't help you win!" snarled Hiei angrily as he made another attempt at Yusuke, only to feel the cold blade of his wakizashi against his throat, one wrong move would end his life or put him at an extreme disadvantage.

"Concede Hiei! I don't want to have to kill you, but I will if I have to, for Kagome's sake," said Yusuke sternly.

"Never! I will not surrender to a hanyou!" snarled Hiei angrily, pushing himself away from Yusuke to escape his wakizashi blade. Once he landed he sprung right at Yusuke slashing at him quickly.

"DAMN IT!" snapped Yusuke as he held his side; Hiei had managed to land a blow on him with his katana. "You'll pay for that one Hiei!"

-

Sango began to get worried when neither Yusuke nor Hiei returned by night fall. It wasn't like them to make their loved ones worry once they came to their senses. Kagome was doing better, though still a bit shaken about the incident with Yusuke, she had at least admitted that she was worried about Yusuke and that she loved him and always would.

"Kurama," called Sango as she spotted him.

"Yes Sango?" replied Kurama calmly.

"Can you do me a favor?" asked Sango.

"That depends on what the favor is," said Kurama.

"Look after Kagome, there was an incident between her and Yusuke and it's left them on shaky ground, they both feel like they betrayed the other. Kagome can explain it better, but Hiei went off hours ago to search for Yusuke, neither of them has returned thus far," said Sango worriedly.

"I see, yes, I will look after Kagome. Kouga and Ayame at their den, get them to help you find Yusuke and Hiei. They know the forest better than anybody," said Kurama.

Sango nodded her thanks and took off for the two Wolf Youkai's den.

-

"Kouga, something's wrong," said Ayame.

"Is it time?" asked Kouga.

"No, not yet, it's something else… Sango's here," said Ayame as the two watched Sango's form approach their den slowly and carefully.

"What's wrong Sango? Was there an attack?" asked Kouga.

"No, not really, somebody has been trying to drive Kagome and Yusuke apart from each other. They've almost succeeded; Kagome and Yusuke are ready to annul their marriage to each other by both Youkai and Ningen standards. Now, Hiei is missing, he went to search for Yusuke hours ago, but so far neither have them has returned," said Sango. "Kurama said you could help me. Please, for Kagome's sake."

"We'll do it, for Kagome's sake," said Ayame sincerely. "Now which way did Hiei go?"

"Um, north, I think," said Sango.

"The cliff's, I'll bet anything that's where Yusuke went! It has a great view of the lands as they were in the Feudal Era, plus it's a great place to think if you want to be alone," said Kouga. "I've scoped that area out, checking for any threats to our den, plus Kagome's and everyone else's home."

"Right, so that's where we will go!" said Sango.

-

Both Yusuke and Hiei were injured severely and bleeding, they had taken to trying to out do the other when it came to swordsmanship. Neither of the two had yet disarmed the other, though Yusuke had come close several times. Hiei had come close a couple of times, but so far been unsuccessful in disarming Yusuke of his weapons.

"Give up Hiei, you can't beat me," said Yusuke through gritted teeth as he pushed against Hiei's katana with his own.

"I will not surrender to you!" replied Hiei.

With one swift movement, Yusuke was able to bring a stick or cane out of from hiding and swing it at Hiei. But Hiei was able to block it with his katana, while still managing to block Yusuke's katana and his wakizashi. Gritting his teeth he pushed against Hiei with more force, but was still unable to move his blades past Hiei's blade. Deciding it was time to reveal his next weapon he jumped back away from Hiei, while in midair he put his katana and wakizashi away. When he landed all he had out was the cane-like stick he had tired to use against Hiei earlier.

"You are a fool to have put away your blades boy," said Hiei as he put his katana back in its sheath, but held his hands ready to withdraw the blade again at a moments notice. "Now feel the wrath of my blade!"

The moment Hiei took off charging, Yusuke did as well. The leaves on the ground flowing up into the air as the two charged either, the sounds of the forest deathly quiet, the only sound that could be heard, faintly, were the sounds of Yusuke's and Hiei's feet running across the ground and the sound of metal scraping against metal. The moment Hiei and Yusuke were within striking distance Hiei withdrew his katana and struck, like lightning flashing through the sky. Yusuke and Hiei stood at opposite ends of each other, each crouched on the ground in post strike positions, neither moving an inch, nor making a sound.

­-

Sango, Kouga, and Ayame were running through the forest towards the cliffs when Sango finally noticed how quiet it was. Stopping in her tracks she caught the attention of her two companions.

"What's wrong Sango?" asked Ayame, "do you hear something?"

"Shh. Listen, what do you hear?" asked Sango.

"Nothing, I don't either anything at all, why?" asked Ayame.

"Yeah, what's wrong?" asked Kouga as he looked around his surroundings.

"You don't hear anything?" asked Sango.

"No, nothing, is that a bad thing?" asked Ayame.

"There are no birds chirping, no sounds of squirrels running amongst the ground or the trees. Something's wrong, a forest is never this quiet, unless something as spooked the wildlife," said Sango.

"Your right, it's quiet, too quiet," said Ayame.

"Then let's hurry! Something must be happening with Hiei and Yusuke," said Kouga.

Nodding in agreement, they took off running faster than they had been before, something was up and Sango intended to find out what it was. When they arrived at the cliffs what they saw made Sango loose all color.

-

Yusuke was the first to stand, followed shortly by Hiei; turning to face each other it was clearly shown that Yusuke's cane was no cane, but a hidden sword, a shikomizue.

"You fought valiantly Hiei, but I'm afraid its time to end this fight," said Yusuke. "I was hoping it wouldn't have to come to this."

"You have learned well boy, yes, it is time to end this fight. But I'm afraid that I cannot summon the Dragon of the Darkness Flame and infuse it into my katana to create the Sword of the Darkness Flame. But I will summon the Dragon of the Ice Flame, I will let it feast upon you," said Hiei, "Dragon of the Ice Flame!" Summoning this new dragon Hiei infused into his katana.

"SWORD OF THE ICE…"

"SPIRIT…"

"FLAME!"

"STRIKE!"

The two charged each other one last time, their swords clashing against each other, their power clashing against one another, their limitations for pain put to the ultimate test. When explosion of their power erupted it cast a blinding light across the cliffs. Finally, when it faded the one standing was…

-

Higurashi Shrine

Kagome was breathing heavily as she had just gone into labor. She wished that Yusuke could be there with her, but she knew that he had to find inner peace before he could come back to her.

"Cousin," said Kagome.

"Yes, Kagome?" replied Kurama gently.

"Please, I have to have Yusuke here," said Kagome, tears now flowing freely. "I need him here with me, if he's not here, then I don't know if I'll survive this."

"I understand Kagome," said Kurama as he held her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "I will have Inuyasha to help search for him, but for now just breathe."

"No, you search for him Kurama," said Kagome. "Please, I can only trust you with this task, you are the most level headed of the group."

"Very well, I will have Kikyo, Yukina, and Botan watch over you," said Kurama gently.

Walking out of the room he closed the door and leaned up against it briefly. 'Where are you Yusuke? She needs you now more than ever,' thought Kurama.

"Is she okay Kurama?" asked Kikyo.

"For now, but she needs Yusuke to be here with her. You can see it in her eyes, she needs him here otherwise she may not survive. I need you to watch over her, let the other girls know as well. Also tell Inuyasha and Miroku to guard this house with their lives. Many Youkai and Reikan would love to take the children of the Lord of the Northern Lands," said Kurama as he walked out of the house, transforming to his animal form as he walked.

'Yusuke, if she dies I will personally hunt you down and kill you,' thought Kurama as he took off towards the cliffs.

-

Yusuke's life flashed before his eyes as he felt the overpowering effects of Hiei's attack. It was then that he was granted a brief image of his future, if he stayed on his current course, he stood before a grave and upon the tombstone was name engraved upon it. A name that he did not want to see there, Kagome's name. He also saw next to Kagome's grave was Yukina's grave, and Sango's grave too. Seeing that because of this Kurama would be changed forever and he would hunt him down until he was dead. He noticed out of the corner of his eye, Hiei's grave. The emotions flowing through him were un-describable, pain, betrayal, loss, anger, sorrow, so many emotions, he felt as if he would die right there, but he knew he would not, no he would die another day. Then he was hurled back to the present time, it was as if it had never happened, as if he had been hallucinating the entire time. But he knew what it was, a warning from Midoriko and his father, Raizen. As the overwhelming force of their combined attacks faded away, he could not help but feel relieved that he had survived, as the smoke cleared away Yusuke saw that Hiei had also survived.

"Draw," said Yusuke as Hiei nodded.

"Draw," replied Hiei as the two finally noticed Sango, Kouga, and Ayame standing a few feet away from them.

"Sango," said Hiei as she rushed towards as he collapsed to the ground, weak from his battle with Yusuke.

"Oh, Hiei, why did you have to go and do things the extreme way? You could have died," said Sango sorrowfully as she stroked Hiei's head gently.

A few minutes later Kurama arrived in his animal form, extremely agitated. Changing back to his ningen form, Kurama growled angrily at Yusuke.

"Yusuke, what are you doing! Have you been standing here talking to everyone this whole time!" snapped Kurama, failing to see his wounds and Hiei's wounds.

"Kurama, do me one favor," said Yusuke calmly.

"What!" snapped Kurama glaring at Yusuke.

"SHUT UP!" replied Yusuke.

Taken back by Yusuke's behavior towards him, he noticed the dried blood all over his body. Looking Yusuke over, he saw that he had several cuts, deep ones and shallow ones. He was surprised, Yusuke had never been this badly injured before, at least not to the point that his wounds were that obvious. Looking at Hiei, he saw that he was in just as bad a condition as Yusuke was in, but wasn't taking it as well as Yusuke.

"Now what do you want Kurama? If you want to know what happened with me and Hiei, we'll explain it later," said Yusuke.

"It's Kagome," started Kurama, but never got to finish as Yusuke disappeared instantly.

-

"Breathe Kagome, breathe slowly and calmly. Just do as I instruct and you'll be fine for now. Your nearly there Kagome, your almost ready to give birth, physically at least. Another hour or two you'll be set, then comes the hard part," said Kikyo.

"Thanks for being here for me Kikyo. Yukina, thanks for keeping this room cool for me," said Kagome. "Can somebody please tell me where Botan is?"

"Botan went to get Shippo from Karen's, and she's out looking for Kohaku and Rui," said Kikyo. "Sango's looking for Yusuke and Hiei, so you know. Kouga and Ayame went with her. Miroku is praying for you, while Inuyasha is watching the children with your mother, brother, and your aunt."

"Thanks Kikyo," said Kagome. "You know it's hard to believe we used to be enemies. Or rather that we never got along. Look at us now you're my sister in-law by adoption. I wish I could be there for you when you give birth again Kikyo."

"Shh. Don't talk like that Kagome, you will be. They'll find Yusuke in time, don't worry," said Yukina sternly, before Kikyo to tell Kagome just what Yukina said.

-

"I hope Kagome's okay," said Souta sadly.

"She's just fine, Souta. She and Yusuke are just trying to sort out there problems. A lot has been going on and everyone is under stress. Especially Yusuke, he's worried, this Yakumo has him more worried than when Kagome would disappear for the weeks at a time," said Mizu.

"Really! What worried? Yusuke was always sad when Kagome wasn't around, he'd always be too depressed to stay and help me with my homework," said Souta as he paled instantly for having slipped up.

"So Yusuke was the one helping you out? Well he did help you bring your scores up quite a bit. But next time, don't lie to me," said Mizu sternly.

"Yes ma'am," replied Souta solemnly.

"I feel kind of helpless not being able to do everything our kids can do," said Shiori. "It seems to me that this generation is able to do things we could only hope to be able to do."

"Yeah, well just think you can help us of this generation learn from past mistakes," said Souta. "That's probably the reason you can't do what they can do. You're here to provide wisdom for them and to help guide them."

"It seems that Souta is learning rather quickly Mizu. Perhaps Souta you will be one of the exceptions to this generation and not be able to some of the things they can do too. If that's the case, then learn as much as you can, but don't dedicate your life to that, grow, fall in love, get heartbroken - though I hope you don't, and then share your wisdom with others, so they can learn and grow," said Shiori.

"Will you help me Aunt Shiori?" asked Souta hopefully.

"Of course Souta," replied Shiori.

-

Yusuke was running as fast as his wounded body could take him. He didn't care about the pain he was experiencing, all that mattered was getting to Kagome's side. He could see the Shrine grounds up ahead and this gave him a burst of adrenaline, carrying him over the house itself as he leaped from the forest. Once he landed he rushed right through the door, not caring if he broke it or not, he had to get to Kagome's side. He noticed Kikyo standing guard outside the guest room, he knew that was where Kagome was, he didn't know how and he didn't care, he just had to be with her. Rushing towards it he felt a searing hot pain engulf his body. He had run right into Kikyo's purifying barrier. Gritting his teeth he pushed through the barrier, he could smell his skin burning and his strength leaving him, but still he kept on pushing.

'I have to get to Kagome!' thought Yusuke as he struggled against the barrier, finally breaking through it. 'That hurt!'

"So Youkai, you managed to get through my barrier, very impressive. But now I'm afraid you die now!" said Kikyo as she reached for an arrow as Yusuke reached for his shikomizue. By the time Kikyo had grabbed the arrow and fired it, Yusuke had a firm grip on his weapon and used it to knock the sacred arrow into the ceiling. "Impressive, you were able to deflect my sacred arrow using a mere cane. But now you will- what?"

While Kikyo had been talking, Yusuke had moved quickly and had withdrawn the blade from its sheath. The tip was now pressed right up against her throat.

"Let me through or I will kill you!" hissed Yusuke angrily.

"I can purify you right now Youkai!" said Kikyo.

"You will die first wench! Now let me through or I will rip out your throat!" snarled Yusuke angrily as his Toushin markings began to appear, frightening Kikyo as she realized just what type of Youkai she was dealing with. "You know me Miko, now let me through!"

Realizing that she had picked a fight with a very wounded and extremely pissed off Yusuke, she paled and moved out of the way, as Yusuke moved the blade tip of his sword away from her. Opening the door he saw Kagome lying on the bed resting, he noticed how frail she looked and couldn't help but feel that he had done that to her. Moving to the bathroom that adjoined the room he cleaned his wounds carefully and bandaged himself up. It was when he heard her calling his name that he moved to her side quickly.

"I'm here Kagome, I'm here," said Yusuke quietly.

"Yusuke," said Kagome, opening her eyes to see if she wasn't dreaming, "you came back to me, my love! Please don't ever leave again!"

"No, never again, I swear it, I swear it upon my very being," said Yusuke as Kagome closed her eyes to rest some more, this time though, peacefully.

-

When Yukina came to check on Kagome, she was surprised to see Yusuke, but was grateful. Kagome's health was suddenly increasing fast, she seemed to be getting back to normal with Yusuke back home and by her side. Suddenly Kagome started breathing hard and quickly, she was going into labor. Yukina called for Kikyo and Botan. Botan wanted to force Yusuke out of them room, but Yukina and Kikyo knew better, Yusuke would end up forcing Botan out of the room and not letting her back in.

"Yusuke, just hold her hand and encourage her. Botan, get a bowl of hot water! Yukina, help me out here, make sure nobody but Botan gets in here!" said Kikyo sternly.

Botan rushed out of the room to get the hot water and the bowl. Yukina stood guard at the door and told everyone, who at this point had arrived back at the house, that only Botan was allowed to pass by her to see Kagome. When Botan came back with the bowl and a pitcher of hot water, she followed Kikyo's instructions.

"Yusuke, please don't leave me," cried Kagome. "I don't know if I can bear the pain."

"It's okay Kagome, you can do this. I won't ever leave you like that again, I promise! I love you too much. Just please hang on and follow Kikyo's instructions, I'll be here the entire time," said Yusuke kissing her hand reassuringly.

"Okay now Kagome, just take deep breath's and do as I ask of you, okay?" instructed Kikyo slowly.

"Okay, I trust you Kikyo," said Kagome.

"Alright now, take a deep breath and push!" said Kikyo.

Doing as Kikyo instructed Kagome's eyes filled with tears. After a few minutes, she was told to breath slowly and take another deep breath, then push again. This went on for hours until finally it was all done and Kagome had given birth to triplets, two girls and a boy. Kagome was happy, she hadn't been so happy in her entire life, she had brought three wonderful lives into the world.

"The eldest girl, I always wanted my eldest daughter to be named Sora," said Yusuke kissing Kagome's forehead gently.

"Yes, Sora Shiruba Urameshi will be her name. Our second daughter's name will be Atsuko Aisu Urameshi, after your mother. Our son's name will be Raizen Shinju Urameshi. Is this okay with you Yusuke?" said Kagome.

"I like the names, I couldn't have thought of better names for them," said Yusuke as tears began falling from his eyes. "I'm crying? But I'm not sad."

"They're tears of joy, you're happy to be the father of three beautiful children," said Kagome as she kissed Yusuke gently on the lips. "Please make sure they're registered as being born, I need to rest now."

"Of course Kagome, of course," said Yusuke kissing her forehead gently. Motioning for Kikyo to come over to him said, "make sure nobody bothers her. I have an errand to run for her. But check in on her every half hour would you?"

Kikyo understood and nodded, then she told Botan and Yukina of his request, nobody was allowed to enter the room, except for them and Yusuke himself.

-

Yusuke walked through the doors of City Hall, a place he had never been before, despite his reputation for causing trouble.

"Can I help you sir?" asked the woman behind the counter.

"Where do I go for birth certificates?" asked Yusuke.

"May I ask why you need birth certificates? They are usually given at the hospital when a child is born," said the woman.

"My wife just gave birth to triplets at our home," said Yusuke. "Plus, they aren't average children either."

"Ah," replied the woman looking around to make sure nobody could over hear her. _"Are they Youkai children or Reikan children?"_

_"Youkai,"_ replied Yusuke in Youkai language.

_"Third floor, door on your right at the end of the hall,"_ said the woman as Yusuke thanked her.

Upon reaching the third floor and the door at the end of the hall on his right, he found it was a Reikai office. Entering he was asked to take a number.

"I'm not going to wait," said Yusuke.

"Sir, please take a number and have seat," said the secretary.

_"NO!"_ snapped Yusuke angrily in the Youkai language catching her attention right away.

"Very well sir, what can I help you with?" asked the secretary.

"Three birth certificates," replied Yusuke.

"Very well, I can fill them out here and give you a copy of them if you wish," said the secretary.

"I'll have them filled out and returned here or sent wherever they need to be," said Yusuke.

"Very well sir, have a good day," said the secretary handing him the paperwork that needed to be filled out and returned. "Oh, when you are finished, please return them here to be processed."

Yusuke just nodded as he left the building and started his way back to the Higurashi Shrine. On his way home he noticed a familiar figure in the crowd across the street. Looking closer he saw it was Yakumo, King of the Mekai. Rushing over there he was blocked by an oncoming bus, forcing him to jump back a few feet. When the bus passed Yakumo was gone, like he hadn't been there to begin with. Searching around, he noticed him on the top of a skyscraper. Moving quickly to the building, he rushed up the stairs as fast as he could and found Yakumo standing there, as if waiting for him.

"Yakumo," said Yusuke.

"Boy," replied Yakumo. "You looked surprised to see me!"

"Usually when I kill assholes, they stay dead. I figured I killed you when we first met and that Naraku or someone else had killed you five hundred years ago," said Yusuke glaring at Yakumo. "How are you still alive! I know for a fact that I killed you!"

"You see that's just it, I was dying after our battle. You defeated me, a mere human at that, you destroyed the power sphere, and you stopped my attempt to bring the Mekai to this world. I was dying, but then Naraku found me, he didn't know who or what I was. Just that I had been defeated by his quarry. He healed me without Enma knowing, but while I healed I learned that the power sphere had been recreated, but it was known as Shikon Jewel," explained Yakumo, "this caught my curiosity. So as I healed I concealed my true powers from Naraku, but I told him I was a survivor of the battle between the Reikai and the Mekai. I told him how he could acquire a massive and powerful army."

"So he didn't know you were the Mekai King. What do you want Yakumo, revenge? You could have had that easily," said Yusuke.

"Actually you would be surprised at how complicated that would make things. No I had to wait until the Kumori Wraiths had appeared; while I had control of the Reikai I was able to see their records. Even they don't have a clue as to how they defeated me and my armies. But there was something in those files that caught my attention, a hanyou who had control of a powerful object that made him feared and despised. So, you see, I realized the moment Naraku saved my life that he was the powerful hanyou who had control of the powerful object. What I didn't realize until he showed me was that this powerful object was the Power Sphere. It had been shattered, but still it was even more powerful than it was before," explained Yakumo. "Tell me boy, did you ever find the three quarters that Naraku had?"

"No, they weren't among his body," said Yusuke as realization dawned upon him. "You have them, maybe not on you, but they're in a safe location. Were you apart of my mother's murder!"

"Listen well boy! I may be your sworn enemy, but even I will not stoop so low as to murder one's mother just to play mind games! No, my mind games are much more simplistic and much cleaner. That was Naraku's doing, not mine. Tell me, how is it that a ningen such as yourself can have so much power?" said Yakumo.

"This is very out of character for you Yakumo. What game are you playing," demanded Yusuke.

"A game?" questioned Yakumo as he broke out laughing, "Oh, this is much more than a game, boy. This is the beginning of the epilogue to our great battle. Did you truly think I would fight you here and now? Don't be simple, I want a challenge. With the power sphere my current level of power is magnified by three hundred! My normal power without the power sphere is a hundred times what it was when you first defeated me."

"To answer your question Yakumo, I'm not entirely human," said Yusuke as he saw the surprise come across Yakumo's face.

"A Reikan hanyou then!" said Yakumo as Yusuke looked at him blankly, just before he broke out laughing at him. "Don't laugh at me boy!"

"I'm a hanyou alright, but I'm a Youkai hanyou. Born with dormant Youkai blood, thus growing up as a human, but my Reiki was dormant too. Then I was killed saving a child's life. I've been a ghost Yakumo, after that time my life was restored to me and my Reiki was awakened. It was right after the Dark Tournament that we met Yakumo. I was around an inferior A-class when we first met, but after you injured me and when we met up again, I was stronger than before. Plus purifying the power sphere of Mekai Youki, gave me a bit of a power boost. I beat the living hell out of you and destroyed the power sphere too," said Yusuke with a smirk evident on his face. "But my confidence would soon be interrupted when I fought the strongest person in my entire life. Sensui Shinobu, the rogue Reikai Tantei, the Dark Angel, the man with seen personalities."

"A human beat you; that must have been humiliating!" Yakumo sneered evilly.

"You have no idea, but he had mastered the Sei Kou Ki too," said Yusuke as he watched Yakumo's eyes widen in shock and fear. "He tried to unleash the Makai onto the Ningenkai by creating a giant portal. I didn't just get beaten by him, I was killed by him. I was dead for the second time in my life, but then I was alive again. My Youkai blood had saved my life. Awakening my Youki, my Youkai core, my Youkai heart as I call it, awakened my true nature, with the aid of Raizen, Lord of the Northern Lands. I came back and killed Sensui. I was an S-class hanyou that had no control really."

"A Toushin hanyou; the son of Raizen no less, I see. That explains why you are so powerful. But tell me do you really think you can defeat me? If so take your best shot," said Yakumo leaving himself open for attack intentionally.

"Well if you insist," said Yusuke charging Yakumo with his fist drawn back, ready to strike, but at the last instant Yakumo moved out of the attacks way so fast it was as if Yusuke was standing still. However, having expected this, Yusuke did something unexpected; he drew his shikomizue and slashed Yakumo across the torso, leaving a nice sized cut that would scar.

"Very sneaky of you boy!" snarled Yakumo angrily as he disappeared into thin air, leaving only an envelope on the floor where he had been standing.

Picking the envelope up from the floor Yusuke left before anybody came and found him in a restricted area. Walking out of the building he knew what was inside of the envelope. Yakumo wasn't very subtle, but he was extremely patient when he wanted to be. He had left instructions for Yusuke to follow or there would be consequences.

-

Upon his arrival home he went straight to Kagome, where the two filled out the necessary paperwork and would send it in to them later. Yusuke was happy, he cooed at his eldest daughter happily, bringing a smile to Kagome's face.

"If only people could see the big bad Yusuke Urameshi now," joked Kagome.

"Yeah, I've always had a soft spot for kids. You know ever since I was ten and had my first crush I always wanted to find the perfect wife and become a father. My mother often told me if I had turned out to be a girl she would have named me Sora Shiruba Urameshi. So I told her when I had children, that I would name my eldest daughter that, it brought a smile to her face, plus I liked the name," said Yusuke as Sora grabbed one of his fingers and began sucking on it gently. "I'm happy you know. My dream of becoming a father came true. I'm sure Shippo will be happy to have a brother and two sisters, don't you?"

"I'm sure he will be," said Kagome as she noticed the far away look in his arms. "Yusuke what's wrong?"

"On my way home, I ran into Yakumo. Don't worry, I'm okay, but we had a bit of a conversation, he told me how he survived our last true battle. Naraku saved his life without realizing who he was, just that I had defeated him in battle, when I should have lost. I hadn't realized that Naraku was targeting me that far back. It makes me wonder if he had been watching me since I was a child. Anyway, he mocked me, he ridiculed me, but he never made a move at me. He's toying with me Kagome. He's trying a more subtle approach this time, playing with my mind, making me on edge all the time. He gave me one free shot at him and recklessly I took it, he moved like I was standing still, but I managed to surprise him by cutting him across his torso," explained Yusuke slowly, pausing for a moment, before he continued, "he left an envelope behind, where he had been standing, when he disappeared into thin air. Our final battle against each other is drawing nearer. I don't want to think about what will happen if I don't comply or if I loose. Kagome he has the rest of the Shikon Jewel in his possession. He knows how to unlock and use its deepest, most hidden secrets. He created the original, the one I purified and destroyed, that nearly cost me my life."

"Then don't think about it," said Kagome. "For now, enjoy your time as a father. But out of curiosity, how long is he giving you?"

"Two months, I'm surprised I have that long. But I intend to make the best out of it," said Yusuke.

-

One Week Later

Kikyo was the one now in labor and Inuyasha was a mess. He was nervous as hell and was constantly getting yelled at by Kikyo to sit still or get out of the room. He chose the latter, because his ears were starting to bleed from all the yelling. The moment he left Kikyo yelled at him to get back by her side and comfort her. Hiei was wearing a constant smirk, knowing full well who wore the pants in that marriage. Finally after several hours Kikyo gave birth to a son, they named him Inyuko (In-You-Koh), just as they originally planned. Inuyasha stayed by Kikyo's side the entire time, comforting her. He held his son in his arms and was amazed at the resemblance to his own father.

"He must have inherited it from you Inuyasha," said Kikyo softly. "Maybe we should have named him Inutaisho."

"No! Inyuko is fine; it's a cross between our names, just as we agreed," said Inuyasha as Kikyo nodded smiling as their newborn son fell asleep in Inuyasha's arms. "I love you Kikyo."

"I love you too, Inuyasha," said Kikyo as the tow kissed gently.

-

Over the next several weeks both Yusuke and Inuyasha spent as much time with their mates and newborn children as possible.

Shippo had been quite happy to learn that he was a big brother to three perfectly healthy babies. He could not help but feel he needed to help protect them, so he spent a bit less time with Karen and more time helping his parents take care of his siblings.

Kiyasha and her siblings would help out as much as they could too. Though they were still young, they were able to help with minor things.

Yusuke himself thought back over the past month, especially to Christmas and New Years. He made sure Kagome had fun the whole day. It was at night after she had gone to bed that he would venture out into the cold snow and meditate. Then he would physically train himself to exhaustion, barely able to sneak back into the house. He regretted it now, seeing as it almost cost him Kagome and his son Shippo, plus Sora, Atsuko, and Raizen. It was the night before the biggest battle of their lives and Kagome was finally allowed to do the things she had done before her pregnancy. It was that night that she consented to becoming a Toushin hanyou like Yusuke; it was a night in which the two would renew their promises and their vows to each other, a night that neither would soon forget.

-

A/N: Well here it is; the fourteenth chapter. I hope you all like it, because there's only about two chapters left before the big finale. The next chapter is going to be a big one, so it will take a while to complete and get posted, but for now this chapter's poll.

What did you think of this chapter?

What should happen next?

What do you think of this story overall? (What do you think of the entire story, so far?)

Well that's it for now, hope you enjoyed it. Until next time,

Shadow Kage

* * *


	15. The Final Battle

Chapter Fifteen: The Final Battle

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! I'm only 26 away from a hundred! The 100th reviewer gets his or her choice of one of my characters, from this story, to own! No strings attached! There are only two chapters left, including this chapter! Now onto the rest of the chapter, after a note below!

-

I am holding a contest which is open to all. The challenge is to draw a picture of Kagome as a Toushin. The winner will get three characters from this story RttP to own as their own characters! I will leave a list of all characters I own at the end of this chapter after the poll. E-mail your drawings to me at: or I hope to see a lot of pictures. I will post the victor at the end of the last chapter.

-

Undisclosed Location

Yusuke, Kagome, Kurama, Sango, Hiei, Yukina all stood in the clearing. They were waiting for their escort who would take them to their next location, per the instructions left by Yakumo. If they deviated from the instructions in the slightest bit, their families would be killed. When their escort finally arrived they noticed it was a Thunder Youkai.

"I am Thunderstrike, please follow me. If you attempt to deviate from the instructions then your families will be killed."

So they followed the Thunder Youkai without saying a word. They were angry, they were afraid, but most of all, they were determined to defeat Yakumo once and for all. When they finally arrived, they were shocked to see it was an old temple. At least a few thousand years old, but what was shocking most of all was that it wasn't of Ningen, Reikan, or Makai Youaki origins, which meant it was of Mekai Youkai origin. What it was doing in the Ningenkai they didn't know. But they did know that it meant that they may very well have found the mssing pieces to the Youkai history about the Mekai. They were then led to the innermost chamber of the temple.

"Welcome to the Temple of the Mekai. This place was originally used as a means to attempt to bring Youkai from the Mekai to the Ningenkai. However, the Reikai grew quite angry and tried to force its laws upon the Youkai. You know how the Youkai feel about the Reikan Lords today. Imagine how they felt when the Reikan Lords attempted to pass judgment on them and force them to stay in the Makai, just so they could have the Ningenkai to themselves. It was due to the Reikan Lords of that time, that Ningen flesh became highly valued by Youkai as a source for nourishment and power. They cast a curse upon the Ningens for accepting the Youkai into the Ningenkai, this curse enabled their flesh to cause Youkai to become extremely powerful for short periods of time," explained Yakumo as he walked around the chamber stopping every now and then to turn a lever or to speak to them, showing that he knew they were there. "The Ningens then revolted against the Youkai in fear and pleaded with the Reikan Lords to expel them from the Ningenkai. It was through this act that the Youkai felt betrayed and thus began to despise the Ningens."

"So what!" snapped Yusuke. "That was a long time ago, long before you or I ever met Yakumo! At one time the Reikan were the protectors of the Ningens, providing safety from the Youkai!"

"True, in a sense," replied Yakumo, pausing to ponder Yusuke's answer. "At one time the Reikan Lords did protect the Ningens, providing safety from the Youkai, but what about the hanyou's? Half Ningen, half Youkai, what about them? Regardless of what you've been told about hanyou's, at one point they were considered to be equal with Ningen's and Youkai. They had the best of both worlds; at times they would revert to a Ningen state and realize what it was truly like to be a Ningen, while at other times they would loose themselves to their Youkai side and realize the horrors every Youkai dealt with if they ever lost control."

"Why are you telling us all this Yakumo? You are acting more like someone who is merely playing their part in a play. You are acting like someone who's seeks freedom from the Reikai imprisonment, but would do anything to achieve it, even turn on your own kind," said Kurama.

"I do, do I? Perhaps this is merely a side of me that is more collected and calm, where my pride and distaste for the Reikai are not interfering with my better judgment. Perhaps this is how I came to rule the Mekai a thousand years ago. What do you say Kitsune?" replied Yakumo. "Perhaps this is merely all a ploy to get you to let your guard down, so I can strike you down easily."

"No, you are too clever for that Yakumo. Indeed, perhaps this is how you came to rule the Mekai. I have seen the most arrogant, bloody thirsty rulers, gain control of the lands of the Makai many times. However, unlike the clam collected rulers, they never lasted more than a decade or two. The calm rulers have last for hundreds of years, some even millennia. What are you up to Yakumo? What could you possibly have gained from brining us here and telling us the history of the four worlds? You had to have known that it wouldn't change our opinion of you or what we came to do," said Kurama, as Yakumo merely chuckled.

"The Kitsune is correct. Indeed, I knew this wouldn't change your minds or deter you from your cause; in fact this will merely satisfy your curiosity on why the Reikai hates Youkai so much and why they hate hanyou's even more," said Yakumo. "However, we have fought two times already, neither side truly defeating the other. This time though, it will be different, since you haven't defeated me yet, nor I you, we shall move this battle to a place where neither of us can escape as long as we both live."

Suddenly a portal had opened at the top level of the chamber. Yakumo merely looked at them with amusement before his next actions. In an instant every Youkai guard that had been in the chamber was gone, not a single one remained; they couldn't even sense their Youki, nor find any trace of them ever having been there, their scent was gone, or rather it smelled very old.

"We have nearly come full circle. From the time we first met those many years ago, to the time when we met again all those centuries ago. Each time it was in the past, as is everything that happens now, the present is merely an illusion. Now though, now we will not battle in this modern era, nor shall we battle in the Feudal Era, no, this time we shall be awakening the future with our battle, we shall battle in a time that is not yet known by the Reikai, a time where their influence is all but extinguished," said Yakumo as Yusuke attacked Yakumo, only to be grabbed by the throat and tossed down onto the ground like rag doll. Teleporting himself to the front of the portal Yakumo looked down on them arrogantly. "You nearly had me boy. However, this is not when, nor how, we shall draw this drama to a close. No, more is promised to us, before this drama is drawn to a close."

"You speak in riddles Yakumo! This highly unlike you!" said Hiei.

"Perhaps, or perhaps this is exactly like me," replied Yakumo.

This angered Hiei, he despised riddles. Yakumo leapt backwards, laughing manically, into the portal behind him as the others rushed up the stairs, leaping into the portal too, intent on following him and finishing him off once and for all.

-

Elsewhere a single Kitsune of an unknown nature came crashing through a roof, the sound of something crashing through the roof, which immediately caused the household to rush to where the damage was. A woman wearing miko garbs was the first to enter and find the Kitsune beaten badly and on the verge of death, feeling pity for the Kitsune she set to healing him. Unbeknownst to her, another was watching her and smiled.

'My work here is done. Soon the master will have all he needs to kill those who are after him and to use their own children against them as his own lieutenants,' thought the Youkai before it was dissected by a gigantic sword, being held by an Inu-Hanyou.

'Stupid Youkai, thinking he could spy on us. Probably one of that Yakumo guy's minions,' thought Inuyasha as he landed on the ground below and took off towards the house.

When he arrived he found Kikyo in the damaged room tending to the wounds of a Kitsune type he had never seen before, but had heard legends of. A Golden Kitsune, equally rare, if not more, to the Silver Kitsune. He was immediately suspicious of the Kitsune; after all how often is it that a Golden Kitsune comes crashing through your roof? Rarely, if ever, is how often. Inuyasha watched the Kitsune cautiously, never taking his eyes of the Kitsune.

Kikyo could sense the mistrust towards the Golden Kitsune and could understand it. She herself was wary of the Kitsune she was healing. Of course she wouldn't heal it all the way, just enough so that it would live and provide answers. She knew the legends of the Golden Kitsune, how they had joined the Mekai's side in the war against the Reikai. She was no fool, she knew this Kitsune was powerful and dangerous; however, Kagome would give the Kitsune some trust. After she finished healing she used her miko powers to activate the hidden wards in the room and he obvious wards.

"Feh, I don't trust him. There's more to him than what there seems. He's a Kitsune after all, a Golden Kitsune at that. I remember what Sesshomaru told me about them before we had any true bad blood between us. The Golden Kitsune clans were under the command of the Mekai Eastern Taiyoukai. The youkai was female and supposedly quite the beauty, that is until after the war where she then escaped and went into hiding. There were rumors that she was seriously deformed and only retained half her beauty. Keep an eye on him, if he's one of the Kitsune that worked for the Mekai Lady of the Eastern Lands, then he will not hesitate to kill us," said Inuyasha leaving Kikyo to ponder his words, so she erected a barrier surrounding the entire room to prevent him from escaping.

-

In another part of the house Shiori, Mizu, and Souta were busy taking caring of the babies. Souta wanted to help, despite the teasing he received from his friends. The most important thing to him was family and he was determined to protect his nephew and his two nieces, even if he had to lay down his life for them in the process.

Mizu watched her son carefully, seeing how he was very protective and careful with his nephew and nieces. She saw the love for them in his eyes and his body language. She knew that one day Souta would make a great father. Raizen, Sora, and Atsuko were all sleeping peacefully now; they had woken when they heard the crash. When they had woken they had started wailing loudly like they knew that something wasn't right. It was in that moment that Souta, Mizu, and Shiori had come into the room to try and calm them down, but it seemed that only Souta was able to.

"You're going to make a fine father one day Souta," said Mizu placing her hand on his shoulder as he looked up at her and smiled before he looked back down at the sleeping babies.

"Thanks mom," replied Souta before he left the room.

-

Meanwhile in another time and another world the Tantei found themselves in a post-apocalyptic world. The skies were black as night with lightning flashing every now and then in different colors, but no rain fell. They saw in the distance volcanoes almost constantly erupting. The forests held no green to them only black and gray, covered in ash and the remains of trees that had caught fire. They noticed what were once large cities were now ruins and graveyards. It seemed as though where ever they were in it had not survived whatever had caused its current state. That's when they noticed a sign, it was warped and melted, but it remained intact enough for them to discover where they were. It read: Tokyo 1 Mile.

"My god, this is what remains of Tokyo!" exclaimed Kurama. "It seems as if Doomsday has come and gone, leaving behind a shell of what was once Tokyo and the Ningenkai. Who could have done this?"

"Welcome strangers," said a voice behind them. "I take it you are travelers from another time?"

"How would you know if we were or not?" replied Yusuke.

"Do not be afraid. I mean you no harm; in fact I have come with a message from Master Yakumo, Overlord of the Four Worlds. He awaits your arrival at his fortress in the center of the elemental shrines. Do not bother to look for the shrines as they are apart of his fortress, each one baptized in Mekai Energy," said the incredibly old man.

(A/N: For those who have seen Street Fighter II V then think of the old man that Ryu helped or the old man form Street Fighter Alpha Generations.)

"Who are you?" asked Kagome.

"Ah, the Miko who traveled between the times of the Ningenkai, it has been five hundred years since I last saw you. I am an old man whose time is drawing close and closer. You may call me Kenja, my true name I have forgotten and is lost to the sands of time," said Kenja.

"Wise Man?" asked Yusuke. "Whatever, what waits for us at Yakumo's fortress?"

"Do you think it is so simple as to waltz into that fortress unannounced? No, you must face the trials, the Mekai Taiyoukai await you inside, along with their minions. If you manage to defeat the Mekai Taiyoukai then you will face Yakumo. However, I fear once you face him he will easily crush you," said Kenja.

"Listen old man, we beat Yakumo once and we plan to do so again! If anybody gets in our way then we'll take them out!" said Yusuke.

"Hmm… If that is true, then we shall meet again. Be warned though, there are those who would tempt you and deceive you, if you are to defeat Yakumo, or even face him, then you just overcome the desires you hide from yourself and those around you," said Kenja as he disappeared into the shadows.

"I don't trust that old man. There is something about him that has me on edge. As if he knows all about us, but we know nothing of him. Like he has been watching us all our lives without us even knowing it," said Yusuke.

"Maybe, but right now lets go pay a visit to Yakumo," said Sango.

-

Elsewhere in the fortress, five watched the Tantei make their way towards the fortress. They too were curious about the old man that the Tantei had come across. He was a mystery that none of them knew the answer to, nor did they have a guess, except for perhaps Yakumo himself. He had his four most trusted and powerful servants that ruled their lands with an iron grip.

"Meet our guests at the first trial chamber Zetsuna. You are after all the weakest of us here. If you can defeat them, then you have proven your worth and will live to see another day… or two. Failure is not an option, should you fail, then you will die," said Yakumo sternly.

"As you command milord," replied Zetsuna before disappearing to the first chamber of trials to await the arrival of the Tantei.

"You don't honestly believe that he can defeat them do you?" asked one of the Mekai Taiyoukai.

"No, however, he may surprise us. His kind are extremely rare. The Youkai that are more rare than a Wraith Youkai. If I am right then our dear Zetsuna is a Jackal Youkai. The Jackal Youkai were once led by an incredibly powerful Youkai and Reikan Hanyou, he was named Anubis. Because Anubis was Reikan and Youkai he had the longevity of both races, the power of both races, and the most common abilities of both races. But Anubis had one power that not even the Reikan Overlords have ever had. He had the power to take and restore life, thus he was one of the most powerful Youkai to ever exist," said Yakumo. "I expect that Zetsuna, however, is a disgraced Jackal Youkai, too weak to be a threat to the Tantei."

-

Yusuke and the others were appalled at what they saw, Youkai, Ningen, and Reikan skeletons alike were hung from light polls. The side walks were now graves and inside the buildings tombs. Kagome felt very sick, and none could blame her, the stench was appalling. Tokyo had become a graveyard and up ahead they saw the fortress that Yakumo and the other Mekai Taiyoukai waited. The fortress itself was gigantic, made from stone, wood, and metal, all crafted to deter any from entering or nearing it. It was surrounded by bubbling lava and from the ledges that stuck out from the wall hung bodies and skeletons of Reikan's, Ningen's, and Youkai. At the front and end of the stone bridge stood two statues that reminded them of the Grim Reaper of folk lore. Hooded, their faces barely seen, skeleton-like hands gripping a scythe and a feeling of foreboding emanating from and the fortress. Gargoyles stood on each of the outcroppings from the walls and in-between the Grim Reaper statues on both sides. Once they arrived at the doors they saw them decorated with the bones of those who failed the first trial. Pushing them open they entered into the dimly lit room, their only source of light the torches that resided on the walls. As soon as they had entered the doors closed on their own and the torches lit, revealing Zetsuna.

"Welcome. I have been expecting you, I am Zetsuna, Mekai Taiyoukai of the South and your executioner. I am the weakest of the Mekai Taiyoukai, thus if you somehow manage to move onto the next challenge then you will fight those who are much stronger than myself. Now who is the first to die?" said Zetsuna only to be shot with one of Kagome's purifying arrows and hit from behind with Sango's giant bone-boomerang.

He was dead in an instant, preferring to brag rather than fight right away. The Tantei had trained to ignore their opponents when they started to ramble, rather than fight right away. However as they made their move to go to the next chamber, an eerie laugh filled the chamber.

"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! Did you truly think it would be that simple to defeat a Jackal Youkai! I am a Mekai Taiyoukai for a reason, my body may be dead at current time, but my spirit will be more than enough to kill you, such is the power of the Jackal Youkai. Come try to defeat me!" laughed Zetsuna's spirit as Sango screamed as she felt something hit her. "You cannot defeat me I am immortal!"

"WRONG ASS HOLE!" snapped Kagome, shocking the others at her language as she threw out dozens of anti-evil wards.

Soon afterwards they could feel Zetsuna's spirit being purified and torn apart, that's when Kagome noticed one of the wards floating in midair and shot it with her purifying arrow, destroying Zetsuna for good.

-

"It seems the little miko is quite clever. Zetsuna is dead, both in body and in spirit. You are next my little spark, remember if you fail then you will die. I do not want them to reach me, do you understand! If you have to kill yourself in the process of killing them then do so! If you return here defeated I will personally kill you! Now go!" said Yakumo sternly as his servant obeyed and disappeared. "One gone, four remain. How will you deal with this little Hanyou?"

-

Yusuke and the others found the next chamber not to be dark, but bright and full of electricity. It also happened to be the courtyard chamber. There was no ceiling, only the wide open space and the storm above that never seemed to die.

"Welcome, welcome to your doom Tantei. I am Elec, Thunder Youkai and Mekai Youkai of the West. Thunder Crash!" screamed Elec as a pillar of lightning caused the Tantei to scatter. "Your attackz will not harm thiz one. I am the mazter of lightning!"

"Yeah, well take this! SPIRIT GUN!" yelled Yusuke firing off a very low powered blast at Elec only to have it deflected, by a shield of electricity, right back at him, narrowly dodging the blast.

"I told you it iz uzelezz, zurrender and die!" cackled Elec.

Next Kagome fired one of her purifying arrows only to have it bounce of Elec's shield and into the wall, causing it to crumble. Kagome narrowly dodged the blast of electricity, but felt its effects on her hair. Next was Sango who blocked a blast with her bone boomerang, but in the process it received a nasty scorch mark. Yukina used her powers over ice and the moisture in the air to form a small blizzard and in turn short out Elec's powers by causing all of the lightning rods to freeze. Thus when they were struck with lightning they broke off, but the power traveled down and into Elec herself.

Elec screamed as she felt the jolts of power flowing into her and through her. It was the most amazing thing she had ever felt in life. However she soon became worried because the flow wasn't stopping. That's when she noticed that all the lighting rods and crashed down around her and she was standing in a pool of water. Soon a gigantic lightning bolt struck her and she screamed in pain from the overload she was receiving and the electrocution she received from standing in a pool of water. Soon after the bolt faded away and everyone was able to look at Elec again without hurting their eyes they saw her charred corpse collapse to the ground with little sparks of electricity flowing over her and the ground around her and the lightning rods.

"Whoa, that is one deep charred bitch," said Yusuke as Hiei burned her remains into ash as a precaution, remembering how Byako of the Saint Beasts had been charred but still remained alive afterwards.

-

"Hmm… they are using strategy and luck to aide them," murmured Yakumo. "None the less their luck is about to run out, I do believe you wanted a shot for revenge against the Kitsune for humiliating you all those years ago."

"Yes, I will have his head upon my mantle," replied the figure. "When I am finished with the Kitsune, then the little Fire Koorime will go, then the Hanyou, then finally the Ice Koorime. The other two will become my personal concubines or I will kill them."

-

The next chamber was an empty chamber, except for the armor and weapons against the walls. At the far side of the chamber stood a figure in the shadows with his/her face hidden by the shadows. However, the next moment all would know who he/she was.

"Hello Kurama, Hiei, Yusuke, Yukina, I hope you are ready to die. And I hope you two are ready to be my personal pleasure slaves and toys," said the figure.

"KOENMA!" exclaimed Yusuke.

"Quite right Yusuke. After Yakumo broke me out of prison I killed my bastard father and joined in the conquest of the three worlds. I am Koenma, Mekai Lord of the North, former ruler of the Reikai. Now die!" yelled Koenma as he unleashed a mighty blast at them, knocking all but Kurama and Yusuke of their feet and unto the cold hard floor.

The two quickly circled around Koenma, who now stood in the center of the chamber and attacked him from both sides simultaneously. Koenma blocked both attacks with his shields and then took a swipe at both, missing them completely. Yusuke unleashed a Spirit Gun blast that Koenma blocked with his shield, but not before the blast took a good portion of the floor with it and part of Koenma's shield. Kurama unleashed dozens of his Death Tree Seeds upon the floor around Koenma, which all fed off Kurama's Youki and Koenma's Reiki to grow abnormally fast. Thus Koenma was busy defending himself from the killed plants and Yusuke and Kurama's attacks with rocks and bricks. It wasn't going well for Koenma as the plants began to encircle him tiring Koenma out as he had to split his attention in multiple directions at once. Finally after what seemed like an eternity Koenma was able to deal a killing blow to the last death tree, but he was worn out, exhausted, and dealing with multiple wounds and burns. That's when Koenma noticed that Hiei was back on his feet again, as were the other three. He knew he was going to die, so he decided to try and at least take them with him, but as he tried to move his feet he found them entangled in the roots of the death trees and ice.

"Your dead Koenma, I don't give a shit how powerful you are. Nobody threatens my wife and gets away with it," said Yusuke revealing his katana and removing his head from his neck and having Hiei incinerate it.

-

'Hmm… interesting,' thought Yakumo. "You are the only one left my dear. You shall have to deal with them. After all you will not fail me; you are my most powerful and loyal warrior."

"Yes, my master," replied the last Mekai Taiyoukai.

-

Meanwhile Inuyasha and the others were busy dealing with the Golden Kitsune. Inuyasha's hunch that the Kitsune was not all that he appeared to be was true. They learned the Golden Kitsune was called Kogane. He was a mercenary…

-

A/N: I know this is not as long as it normally is, but I can't think of anything more right now, sorry. The next chapter is the Epilogue and conclusion to this story. I will have details on whether or not their will be a sequel or not at the end of the next chapter. The only question for the poll is:

Should their be a sequel?

Until next time,

Shadow Kage

* * *


	16. Epilogue

A/N: I know I'm late with this chapter, but I got caught up in my school work and haven't had as much time to get this chapter under way. Now this is the final chapter and I hope you like it because by the time you read this it will probably be either Mid to Late April or Early to Mid-May. Now I'm going to intentionally leave a few things vague to make room for a sequel, either by myself and someone from the staff of my C2 Community or by someone else entirely. I hope you like this chapter, because I am going to spend A LOT of time on it, tweaking it and perfecting it.

Epilogue: Return to the Past

Yakumo's Fortress – Throne Room

"Come on Yakumo it's just you and me now. It's time to end this feud between us once and for all!" spat Yusuke venomously.

"I quite agree. However I am much more powerful than I was the first time we met boy. This time I will be the victor," said Yakumo.

"Yeah, how do you plan to do that? Last time you had the Power Sphere, this time you don't!" said Yusuke arrogantly.

"Who said I didn't? Did you really think I would kidnap your mate and not complete the Power Sphere and make sure you can't purify it again? I am a hundred times stronger than I was at full power, this time around, without the Power Sphere! This time you shall die!" said Yakumo as he suddenly vanished and reappeared behind Yusuke sending him flying into the far wall.

Yusuke stood from the rubble that was the wall and smirked at Yakumo. He knew that Yakumo was powerful, however sudden power ups from artifacts tended to leave one, after a while anyway, significantly drained. All he had to do was survive long enough for that drainage to happen, but considering the power of the sphere now, that could be a hundred years or longer.

"Yakumo, your going down!" roared Yusuke as he charged Yakumo.

Yakumo, however, was waiting for just this moment, as he too charged, but towards Yusuke. Drawing back their fists they each met at the center of the room. Their fists meeting with each other and the power gathered into their fists exploding outward in a great shockwave.

Flashback – Hours Earlier

The Tantei had been running through what seemed like an endless set of halls and stairs. Finally after what seemed like hours of running, they came into an open room and their in the center stood a beautiful young woman. She had icy blue-white hair that flowed around her like it was floating on the wind somewhat, however Yusuke could tell it wasn't a natural color, it was dyed. He sniffed the air and his eyes widened as he recognized the scent, he knew of only a few beings that would ever go this far. As the others noticed Yusuke's furious look towards the new comer she finally spoke.

"Hello my son, it has been a while," said the woman calmly.

"You're dead! I was there when you died! I lit the funeral pyre that cremated your body! How can you be hear!" snapped Yusuke angrily.

"Oh, but as you can see I am alive. Simply amazing what cloning can do and taking my spirit from the Reikai before it was my turn to be judged. I have been reborn, Yusuke, however this time I no longer care for you, you stand in the way of my master. So you must die!" yelled the so-called cloned Atsuko.

"No, wait… You aren't my mother. I know her scent anywhere. Underneath all the booze and smoke her scent was spices and apples. Your scent is Makai Winter Sakura Blossoms. My youngest child has that same scent, you are not my mother! You are my daughter. Tell me, Atsuko, why did you join him?" asked Yusuke sadly.

"You abandoned me! Everyone else is dead because you abandoned me! Because you abandoned us!" screamed Atsuko angrily.

"No, I would never willing abandon you, nor the others. I love you all more than life itself. The only reason I am here is because I have to stop Yakumo before he makes the world what it is today in this time and age," said Yusuke sternly.

"Tell me Atsuko, did it ever occur to you that the reason you never knew us and thought you were abandoned was because you killed us here in this time, thus we never made it back to you and the others?" asked Kagome.

"What? No! You abandoned us! You never cared about us!" screamed Atsuko.

"If that is true, then kill me, but leave your mother and the others out of this. It is mean that you want. Kill me and you shall have your revenge Atsuko. I take all their crimes and place them upon myself. Kill me and you will have avenged your brothers and your sister. But know this my daughter, even if you do kill me I will never stop loving you; my love for you is eternal," said Yusuke as he spread his arms wide and left himself open for attack, waiting to die.

"Then you are a fool! I don't need your love! I don't need any of your love, nor hers! I'll kill you!" screamed Atsuko as she charged him and drew her sword, brought it back as she was charging, and then when she was right in front of him, jammed it forward through his stomach, without him even flinching, trying to evade it, block it, or keep her from killing him.

"Uh!" grunted Yusuke as blood began to pour from his mortal wound and as blood began to seep out from the corner of his mouth. "You have your revenge now my sweet little girl, my little princess. I love you my daughter now and forever, for all eternity. One day we shall see each other again."

Atsuko, realizing what he had meant and what she had done started crying and screaming for him not to die. "Daddy! No, please don't die! I'm sorry, oh please forgive me daddy! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!"

"He isn't dead yet, but he will be if something isn't done. Transfer your Reiki and Youki to him. It will heal his wound; however, it may not be enough to bring him back," said Kagome as Atsuko did so, but also tapping into her life force to bring him back and heal him completely.

"Please come back daddy. Please don't leave me," said Atsuko as her tears landed on Yusuke's face and her powers flowing into him and healing both body and spirit.

"Ugh… Did anybody get the number of the pickup truck?" asked Yusuke as he sat up groggily.

"Daddy!" cried Atsuko glomping onto him and refusing to let go.

"YOU HAVE BETRAYED AND FAILED ME! YOU WILL HAVE NO SECOND CHANCE! YOUR PUNISHMENT IS DEATH!" roared Yakumo as he unleashed a blast of pure Youki at Atsuko and Yusuke.

Atsuko used her body as a shield and protected Yusuke from the blast, saving his life, however at the cost of her own life. "I'm glad I finally found peace daddy. I love you; please beat him, so this never happens to me, to us. I'm glad I finally found the light again, it's so beautiful."

"Foolish girl," said Yakumo angrily. "If you ever want to see your mate again Urameshi, I suggest you find your way to my throne room very soon," said Yakumo angrily, as he bashed Kagome in the back of the head, knocking her out and then grabbing her before disappearing.

"Go –**cough-** save her –**cough- -cough-** don't let him win…" said Atsuko as she finally faded away in Yusuke's arms.

"NO! ATSUKO! ATSUKO, PLEASE WAKE UP! DON'T LEAVE ME!" cried Yusuke in despair. "That's it, Yakumo is going down; I'm going to kill him. I want all of you to search for the Shikon Jewel. This time we'll make sure Yakumo never comes back, this time we destroy his soul as well."

Everyone nodded seeing the raging fire in his eyes, along with the torment of knowing that Yakumo had been responsible, at least in this time, for destroying his family. Now there is an expression that American's are fond of using, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, along with payback's a bitch.

They watched as Yusuke's hair went pale blond and his eyes flashed with Youki. He stood from where he laid his daughter's body and roared in anger and anguish. Yusuke turned his attention towards the direction he could feel Kagome. Letting loose one gigantic blast all the walls, barriers, and traps that stood in his way were removed. Now running down the hall, followed by the others, Yusuke was determined to defeat Yakumo once and for all. He would not let a single cell of Yakumo survive if he could help it. He was going to save his mate, kill Yakumo, and return home to his children. He would make sure this future would never come to pass. Arriving in Yakumo's throne room Yusuke saw Yakumo waiting for him, sitting upon his throne watching him as Kagome was held high above the floor hanging from her wrists with a nasty bruise right above her right eye.

"Come on Yakumo it's just you and me now. It's time to end this feud between us once and for all!" spat Yusuke venomously.

"I quite agree. However I am much more powerful than I was the first time we met boy. This time I will be the victor," said Yakumo.

"Yeah, how do you plan to do that? Last time you had the Power Sphere, this time you don't!" said Yusuke arrogantly.

"Who said I didn't? Did you really think I would kidnap your mate and not complete the Power Sphere and make sure you can't purify it again? I am a hundred times stronger than I was at full power, this time around, without the Power Sphere! This time you shall die!" said Yakumo as he suddenly vanished and reappeared behind Yusuke sending him flying into the far wall.

Yusuke stood from the rubble that was the wall and smirked at Yakumo. He knew that Yakumo was powerful, however sudden power ups from artifacts tended to leave one, after a while anyway, significantly drained. All he had to do was survive long enough for that drainage to happen, but considering the power of the sphere now, that could be a hundred years or longer.

"Yakumo, your going down!" roared Yusuke as he charged Yakumo.

Yakumo, however, was waiting for just this moment, as he too charged, but towards Yusuke. Drawing back their fists they each met at the center of the room. Their fists meeting with each other and the power gathered into their fists exploding outward in a great shockwave.

End Flashback

When the dust settled they saw Yusuke and Yakumo fighting each other in a contest of pure brute strength. Their hands intertwined holding each other at bay while they pushed with all their might. Both had looks of pure contempt on their faces as they battled each other. They were amazed at the pure physical strength each was showing as their battle auras flared around them. Finally Yusuke gained some head way as he smashed the top of his skull into Yakumo's face, causing him to lose his balance and clutch his nose in anger and agony as blood spilled forth from the wound.

"You'll regret that little hanyou," spat Yakumo angrily.

"Well this little hanyou is kicking your ass Yakumo. But guess what, you've lost! The Power Sphere has been completed and purified completely. Now it's time for you to GO TO HELL, WHERE YOU BELONG!" roared Yusuke as he unleashed a blast of pure Reiki and Youki mixed together upon Yakumo who roared in agony as his limbs were dissolved and then finally his entire body dissolved into nothing, not even any dust was left; his soul condemned to hell for the rest of eternity. "Kagome!"

"Yu… Yusuke?" asked a dreary Kagome.

"Yes! It's me Kagome!" said Yusuke as he hugged Kagome tightly. "We won, it's over, it's finally over Kagome; all we need to due now is return to our own time."

"No, we need to make a wish upon the Shikon Jewel. Jewel of Four Souls, please grant my wish; let this world be restored to its former glory, before the pollution by the Ningen, Youkai, and Reikan, before Yakumo's corruption. Let this world have its former beauty so its remaining inhabitants can live peacefully," said Kagome.

The Jewel flashed with holy light as the corruption that infected the world was suddenly washed away by a down pour of fresh rain. After hours of letting the purifying rain wash over them it slowly drizzled away before revealing the corruption free city overgrowing with plant life.

"Kagome Higurashi Urameshi, you have wished for this world to be restored to its state before it became polluted by the three races and before it became corrupted by Yakumo and his minions, all so that its remaining inhabitants may live in peace and beauty for the rest of their lives. We, the four spirits of the Shikon Jewel, have deemed this a worthy wish and as the purifying wish to banish all corruption from this jewel. As a gift to you and your fellow travelers we are returning you back to your own time, three days after your mate left," said the Four Souls of the Shikon Jewel.

"Thank you," replied Kagome as the holy light once again appeared and washed over them. Once it faded away they were at the shrine, but it wasn't exactly peaceful.

"GET BACK HERE KOGANE, YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE! WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU, YOU FILTHY BASTARD, I'LL RIP OFF YOUR BALLS! THEN I'LL SHOVE THEM DOWN YOUR FUCKING THROAT, JUST SO YOU CAN SHIT THEM OUT! THEN I'LL REPEAT THE PROCESS!"

They knew of only one person who could swear that much yelling in a few sentences without stopping. Inuyasha was pissed off so bad, that he wasn't watching his language at the shrine, which usually meant that somebody was going to get hurt, badly. That's when they saw the Golden Kitsune come running looking like a bat out of hell and like the hounds of hell were after him, which wasn't too far off.

"Somebody please help me! Get that crazy mutt away from me!" screamed Kogane.

-

Flashback – One Hour Ago

It was early morning, the sun was just rising over the horizon, and everyone was asleep, well almost everyone anyway. Kogane, the Golden Kitsune that was in the care of Kikyo, was awake and frisky. So he made his way towards one of the rooms that one of the girls lived in, specifically Mizu Higurashi. Opening the door he peaked in and smiled as he saw Mizu sleeping in her night gown, about to take a step in, he felt something tug on his senses telling him something was wrong. Turning around he saw the tip of a sacred arrow inches away from his face, being held by an irritable Kikyo.

"I will tell you now Kitsune, I am not a morning person. You are interrupting my sleep by moving around and stepping on all the loose floor boards. Then I see you trying to enter Mizu's room uninvited, probably to have your way with her. Now what will it be Kogane the Golden Kitsune, agent of the former Mekai Lady of the Eastern Lands, leave here peacefully or pay the price?" said Kikyo.

"How about this?" said Kogane as he quickly slipped into Kikyo's defenses and kissed her full on the lips and started roaming his over her body.

Breaking the kiss roughly and angrily, Kikyo drew back her fist and slugged the smirking Kogane in his right eye. "INUYASHA!" she yelled.

"What is it Kikyo?" asked an irritable Inuyasha as he climbed down the stairs.

"THAT FUCKING BASTARD GOLDEN KITSUNE VIOLATED ME! HE FORCEFULLY KISSED ME AND THEN FELT ME UP! PLUS HE ATTEMPTED TO DO THE SAME TO MIZU!" snapped Kikyo livid with rage, waking Inuyasha up in a nanosecond as he turned towards the quivering Kitsune.

"He did what! I'll kill you, you FUCKING BASTARD!" snapped Inuyasha as he started chasing Kogane who taking to running for his very life.

"I'M SORRY! I COULDN'T HELP MYSELF!" cried Kogane, having never expected to deal with an enraged Inu-hanyou, especially one whose mate he had just violated.

"I DON'T FUCKING CARE! YOUR DEAD KITSUNE WHEN I GET MY CLAWS ON YOU!" roared Inuyasha waking everyone in the house, who were unused to hearing Inuyasha swear.

Running for his very life Kogane dared not look back over his shoulder.

"GET BACK HERE KOGANE, YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE! WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU, YOU FILTHY BASTARD, I'LL RIP OFF YOUR BALLS! THEN I'LL SHOVE THEM DOWN YOUR FUCKING THROAT, JUST SO YOU CAN SHIT THEM OUT! THEN I'LL REPEAT THE PROCESS!"

They knew of only one person who could swear that much yelling in a few sentences without stopping. Inuyasha was pissed off so bad, that he wasn't watching his language at the shrine, which usually meant that somebody was going to get hurt, badly. That's when they saw the Golden Kitsune come running looking like a bat out of hell and like the hounds of hell were after him, which wasn't too far off.

"Somebody please help me! Get that crazy mutt away from me!" screamed Kogane.

End Flashback

-

Yusuke and the others watched the Kitsune come running towards as Inuyasha followed him, obviously completely enraged. So he did the only sensible thing he could think of he stuck his arm out into a clothesline and down went the Kitsune and Inuyasha.

"Now what is going on here?" asked Kagome.

"This little shit violated Kikyo!" snapped Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha!" said Kagome irritably as Inuyasha's ears flattened to the top of his skull as he knew what would happen next. "Would you like some help in dealing with him?"

Face-faulting to the ground Inuyasha looked at Kagome incredulously, then smirked as he cracked his knuckles remembering that Kagome hated anything and anybody that violated others. Kogane hoping to have been spared whimpered as he received the beat down of his life and was forced to write a formal letter of apology to Kikyo, then he was hauled off to the Reikai prisons for Kitsune.

-

Later after everyone had settled in, Yusuke, Kagome, and the others explained everything that had happened when they went to face Yakumo. They went through every little detail. Then Inuyasha, Kikyo, and everyone else that had stayed behind went over what happened while they were away. Eventually everyone went to bed for the night, knowing that the next day would bring more trials and adventures.

-

As the years went by, everyone eventually moved on with their lives, Hiei and Sango moved out of the Sunset Shrine a.k.a. the Higurashi Shrine and into the Hiwikawa Shrine in Juuban, fixing it up and building a dojo to train others in the Jaganshi-Taijiya Style of Swordsmanship.

Inuyasha and Kikyo moved in with Genkai to help her take care of her shrine and training grounds. They eventually inherited the land after Genkai passed away, nearly a century later.

Miroku and Botan moved to Okinawa to help the Shrine Keeper at the Masaki Shrine take care of the grounds. They both eventually learned of each others secrets and swore never to tell others without the others permission, unless absolutely necessary.

Kurama and Yukina moved back to Sarakashi with Kurama's mother after they purchased the school grounds of Sarakashi Junior High and Sarakashi High. They tore down the buildings and the grounds and had newer, easier to find your way around buildings built, along with better equipment and better staff. The old staff was given extended paid vacation, indefinitely.

Shippo and Karen eventually started dating each other by human standards, but by Reikan and Youkai standards were already married. Eventually they became engaged by human standards and wed a few months later. They are currently expecting their first kit.

Kohaku and Rui married right out of High School and live with Sango and Hiei, helping run the dojo and take care of the grounds. They have one child named Kohaui, named after them both.

Kouga and Ayame still live in the woods surrounding the Hiwikawa Shrine, but have had a house built to fit into the times better. They are currently and eagerly awaiting their first pup. They still maintain contact with the others every now and then.

Souta eventually got himself a girlfriend, she was a Fire Kitsune Youkai named Jessica Flare. After they left high school, they wed to each other and are currently on an extended honeymoon around the Ningenkai.

Mizu stayed at the Hiwikawa Shrine, she never remarried. Seventy years later she passed away due to old age. She is sorely missed, but never forgotten.

Kagome and Yusuke stayed at the Hiwikawa Shrine to take care of it. Later, due to rezoning of the districts to fit the growing sizes of the newer districts it became apart of the city called Nerima, but on the outer most edges of it.

Yakumo was never seen again. Koenma still rots in prison. The Japanese Government eventually discovered both the Makai and Reikai. They are currently keeping their existence under wraps as the most guarded secret to date. They work together with both worlds for immigrants that wish to come live in the Ningenkai.

Yuka and Jin eventually settled down together, with Yuka accepting to become a Wind Youkai. They are currently awaiting their first child together. They live on the border between Nerima and Sarakashi.

Eri eventually settled down with Hojo. She keeps in touch with Kagome every now and then, but usually just leaves her be.

Arimi left Tokyo all together on a scholarship to Harvard in America. It was later discovered that her plane had crashed and that there were no survivors.

Touya and Tina eventually did marry by Youkai and Ningen standards and are currently in Siberia for their honeymoon.

Keiko and Kuwabaka left Tokyo and went to Kyoto where they opened up a strain of successful Ramen shops. They never bothered the others again.

-

The end of one story is merely the beginning of another. In the end it does not matter whether one story ends or not, but merely how it ends. Is it a happy ending? Is it a sad ending? Or is it a mixture of both, yet neither. We may never know.

­-

A/N: I'd like to apologize for taking so long in getting this chapter finished, but I just couldn't think of how to end it. I had originally planned for this to be a lot longer, but alas nothing really ever goes as planned. Especially if you wait as long as I have. I've intentionally left openings at the end of this story for sequels, side-stories, etc. I plan to, eventually anyway, write a sequel for this story. Here is the final poll for "Return to the Past":

When should the sequel take place?

Should I add others (Sailor Moon, Ranma ½, Tenchi Muyo, etc) to the sequel?

Does anyone want to help me write the sequel?

If I do add others to the sequel, should a main character be related to RttP main character(s)?

Well that's it. Thanks for reading.

Until next time,

Shadow Kage


End file.
